Pindi, Lahore legs PSL matches to be held as per schedule
By our correspondent
KARACHI: The good news for HBL PSL 8 emerged on Sunday when the financial issues between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Punjab government were resolved and the Board chief Najam Sethi said that the Pindi and Lahore leg matches of the country’s marquee event will be held as per schedule.
“CM Punjab Mohsin Naqvi Saheb has been kind enough to agree to share cost of lighting routes during PSL matches in Lahore. HBL PSL8 matches in Lahore and Pindi shall continue as scheduled,” Najam tweeted.
Earlier in the day following a deadlock the PCB chairman Najam Sethi contacted the prime minister Shahbaz Sharif on phone and the premier assured full cooperation in this connection.
The issue was that Punjab government had demanded Rs500million from the Board for security and other things for conducting the PSL matches in Punjab.
However the Board, which had already paid Rs50million to the provincial government earlier agreed with the outgoing democratic set-up which was last month taken over by the interim set-up, refused to pay the same bill.
The Punjab interim chief minister Mohsin Naqvi the other day said that his cabinet is not ready to sanction the same security expenditures. The PCB, after taking input from franchises had decided that the matches of Lahore and Pindi legs will be shifted to Karachi if Punjab government does not review its stance.
However the Sunday’s development protected the league from being affected by this issue which circulated in the media for the last few days.
Karachi on Sunday hosted last game of its share of nine matches.
Five games have been played in Multan and Lahore will hosts nine, including the final while Pindi will host 12 matches in the event which will conclude on March 19.