Pakistan’s T20 cricket league, the Pakistan Super League (PSL), will be relocated to the United Arab Emirates following recent Indian drone attacks, including one that reached Rawalpindi Stadium, officials announced Friday.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that the army had “neutralised” 28 Indian drones, including one that approached the stadium on Thursday morning, calling it “a deliberate attempt to target domestic and foreign cricket players.”
In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the remaining PSL matches would be moved to the UAE, with the revised schedule to be announced later.
The decision was made after multiple discussions between the league’s franchises and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister.
Naqvi said the move was necessary to ensure the safety of players, both domestic and international, criticizing India’s “irresponsible and dangerous” targeting of the stadium.
A scheduled match between former champions Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi was postponed after a drone fell near Rawalpindi Stadium.
Thirty-seven foreign players from countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan are participating in this year’s PSL.
Sources told AFP that several foreign players were unwilling to remain in Pakistan following escalating military tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The conflict intensified after India launched air strikes on Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of supporting a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir—an allegation Pakistan denies.
International cricket had only recently resumed in Pakistan in 2020, following a decade-long suspension after the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.
