The future of PSL 6 remains clouded in doubt, with little indication of whether the rest of Pakistan’s T20 league will be finished this year. According to a recent survey, talks between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Emirates Cricket Board are still pending, but a final decision is unlikely to be made before next week.
PSL 6 was cancelled in March after multiple players tested positive for coronavirus, despite the fact that the season was conducted entirely in Pakistan. However, the PCB is now considering staging the remainder of the event in Dubai, despite the fact that the number of cases in Pakistan continues to rise.
“We are in discussions with the Emirates Cricket Board about the possibilities of playing the remaining 20 PSL 2021 matches in the UAE. However, due to Eid holidays in the UAE, we are unlikely to come to a final decision until next week,” a senior PCB official told Gulf News.
Even if PCB manages to convince UAE to host the remaining matches, the availability of international players will have to be taken into account as well. As of now, UAE has issued a travel ban from various countries in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
A franchise official termed the current situation ‘fluid’ with the stakeholders exploring all options. “The situation is still fluid as PCB are exploring all the options. However, if the backlog of matches cannot be completed in June, then staging the remaining part of this year’s edition may be difficult,’’ the official was quoted as saying.
BCCI, like PCB, is debating the window for its IPL 2021, which was also halted last week after multiple positive reports of coronavirus surfaced. According to sources, the United Arab Emirates may be one of the venues, with many English county clubs also participating in hosting.