Pakistan Super League to conclude in UAE amid Pakistan-India tensions
Pakistan Super League moved to UAE amid tensions on Pakistan-India border; England and Wales Cricket Board had been monitoring Foreign Office advice over any potential threat to safety with seven English players at PSL; Indian Premier League has been suspended for one week
Friday 9 May 2025 11:25, UK
The Pakistan Super League will conclude in the United Arab Emirates due to escalating tensions with India.
The schedule for the eight remaining games of the PSL, including dates and exact venues, will be announced in due course.
Thursday's fixture between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings in Rawalpindi - set to involve English players James Vince, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Luke Wood - was postponed after a drone fell within the stadium complex.
Pakistan says that was from India.
The match between Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United had taken place at the same venue on Wednesday evening but all other matches will now switch to the UAE
Of the eight remaining games, four were due to be held in Rawalpindi, one in Multan and three - including the final - in Lahore, which is another of the cities to be affected by drones.
ECB monitored Foreign Office advice over threat to safety
There are seven English players at the PSL with Vince (Karachi Kings), Wood and Kohler-Cadmore (both Peshawar Zalmi) joined by Sam Billings and Tom Curran, (both Lahore Qalandars) as well as Chris Jordan and David Willey (both Multan Sultans).
Ahead of confirmation that the PSL would leave Pakistan for the remainder of the 2025 season, the England and Wales Cricket Board said it was monitoring Foreign Office advice over any potential threat to safety.
A total of 15 individuals from the English game, including coaches and media representatives, are in a WhatsApp group and it is understood a group call took place on Wednesday to discuss developments with the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA).
The PCA remains in contact with them.
What has happened on the India-Pakistan border?
On Wednesday, India attacked Pakistan's Punjab province and Pakistan-administered parts of Kashmir, which a military spokesperson said had killed at least 31 civilians and wounded 46.
India explained its original strikes were in retaliation for the terrorist attack on April 22, in which at least 26 people were shot dead.
India accused Pakistan of supporting those behind the attack - an allegation Pakistan has denied.
Gambhir: India should not play cricket against Pakistan
India men's cricket coach Gautam Gambhir said earlier this week, before Tuesday's airstrikes, that the two nations should not play cricket matches against each other while tensions remain.
The two countries have not met outside of ICC events and the Asia Cup since 2013, with their previous fixture taking place in Dubai earlier this year as part of the Men's ICC Champions Trophy.
India and Pakistan could face each other at the Women's World Cup in October and the Men's T20 World Cup in 2026 but those games would be at neutral venues.
Gambhir said: "Ultimately, this is government's decision whether we play them or not.
"I have said this before also: no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens.
"Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform, but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family."
