PCB overlooks top foreign players' security concerns to host PSL 2020 entirely in Pakistan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Tuesday that the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2020 will have 34 matches played across four international venues of the country. It will commence on February 20 and will be played until March 22. Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi will host all the matches this season, making it the first instance of the PSL to be entirely held in Pakistan.

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It is, however, unknown as to how many overseas players will visit the country. The recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka series should pave the way through for more foreign players to travel to Pakistan to play in the PSL. Quetta Gladiators, who are the defending champions of the PSL, will square off against Islamabad United in the tournament opener.

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PSL 2020 to be played entirely in Pakistan

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani said in an official statement that after bringing Test cricket back, hosting Pakistan Super League in Pakistan was another major achievement. He added that he never had any doubts that it was Pakistan’s league and should be played in front of home crowds. He went on to say that they had made a commitment to the people of Pakistan at the end of last year’s event and was glad they had announced the tournament's schedule with four centres to share the 34 matches between them.

9 out of 34 matches will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi. Most number of matches (14) will be played in Lahore while Multan and Rawalpindi will host 3 and 8 matches respectively. The Qualifier between the top two sides will also be played at the National Stadium, whereas the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will be the venue of the two Eliminators and the final.

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Mani further said that PSL 2020 will feature 36 foreign stars. 425 overseas players from 22 countries had signed up for the PSL 2020 draft. Among these, 27 are from South Africa, 39 from Sri Lanka, 39 from Afghanistan, 12 from Australia, 109 from England, 11 from New Zealand, 23 from Bangladesh, 82 from the West Indies, 9 from Zimbabwe, 10 from Canada, seven from Hong Kong, six from Ireland, four from Singapore, nine from the UAE, seven from the Netherlands, eight from Nepal, nine from Oman, five from Scotland, six from the USA, and one each from Bermuda, Kenya and Namibia respectively.

It remains to be seen if top overseas players, especially from countries such as England, South Africa and Australia agree to play in Pakistan. In the past, the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are the biggest names who refused to travel to the country after playing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leg of the tournament. Only Australia's Shane Watson and West Indies' Darren Sammy have been notable exceptions to do so for honouring their franchises' commitments. 

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