PSL 2025 likely to resume later this week in Pakistan

Overseas player availability a key concern after league had to be suspended due to cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Ind

The PSL is set to return later this week with the PCB wanting to stage the remaining matches in Pakistan. The league, suspended on account of mounting cross-border tensions with India, still has eight matches to play and the PCB, along with some franchises, wants to get the season over as soon as possible.

The PSL met with the franchises on Monday to finalize specific venues and dates. Overseas players' availability is the most critical issue, with KSM  learning a sizeable majority are not likely to return. The imbalance in player availability can also affect squads, with some franchises more optimistic about overseas players' returns than others.

To counteract that, the PCB is also said to be contemplating a replacement draft in order to make up the numbers. While the calibre of the players available for something like this is a worry - the most sought-after players were already signed with the PSL or the IPL - it will probably be something that they feel they need to do in order to plug the holes. The arrangements around production will also have to be organized, with the broadcast teams' contracts running out on 18 May, the day set for the final before the league was forced to be abandoned.

Several stakeholders at the franchises . spoke to said that bringing foreign players back for the remainder of the season had been made difficult by the decisions compelled upon the PCB from the sheer volatility of the period leading to the league's suspension. As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, the PSL at one point went through three different options within 24 hours.

The PCB initially looked to relocate the tournament to Karachi when the security situation in and around the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium became unsustainable, before announcing on early Friday morning it was taking place in the UAE. Later in the day, however, with the IPL also suspended by then, an announcement was made that the PSL was being suspended indefinitely - a move ultimately taken on the advice of the Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Through this period, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met with the overseas players. the players were "in no frame of mind" to play at this time, with the atmosphere very charged. It was decided that night to fly the players to the UAE that night from an airbase.

The end of PSL 2025 will see the conclusion of the ten-year leases of the six franchises, with the contracts eligible for renegotiation and renewal. The existing owners have a right of first refusal, and some have expressed a desire to buy teams in perpetuity instead of being on rolling long-term contracts.

The PSL overflow into the last ten days of May will also affect Bangladesh's tour of Pakistan. Bangladesh were scheduled to arrive on May 21 and play five T20Is from May 25, with the first two in Faisalabad and the rest in Lahore. The BCB stated that it was in "active and ongoing discussions" regarding the tour.