PSL 2021 Remaining Matches 'Most Likely' to be Held in May : Sources

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started looking for a window to hold the remaining 20 matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six with May 2021 emerging as the ‘most likely’ venue after a Covid-19 outbreak in the bio-secure bubble forced the board to postpone the tournament on Thursday.

With international teams having a packed schedule this year, the PCB is finding it challenging to take at least two-week window – even if all the remaining matches are to be held as double headers.

Reliable sources told Geo Super that it has been discussed to have remainder tournament organized in May this year but it might then clash with Indian Premier League (IPL) that ends in June.

“PCB may opt for a window in second week of May after series against Zimbabwe,” a source said adding that two other options could be either to hold the remainder event in September before New Zealand’s tour to Pakistan or December.

If PCB opt for May as the window, which according to sources is highly likely, then teams may have to lose some players to IPL.

Chris Lynn, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Chris Gayle, Ben Cutting, David Miller, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rehman and Dan Christian are some of the players who are also drafted to play in Indian T20 tournament.

If the aforementioned players are unavailable, the PCB would then have to allow franchises to pick replacement players. Another window that the Board is trying to explore is September, before home series against New Zealand.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan had earlier said that PCB will work together with all stakeholders to find a suitable window to organize remaining matches of PSL.

"If you want to find a window, you will but there is a lot of cricket happening. You'll have to think of players’ workload as well. There are options and we'll explore them with all the stakeholders before reaching a conclusion,” Wasim said.