KARACHI: The fate of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi is yet to be decided as caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi insisted that his cabinet will ensure security for the tournament. is not willing to back down from the costs of JEE News reported.
Naqvi told reporters in Lahore on Friday that the Punjab government had spent Rs 600 million on PSL last year, adding that this time his cabinet was not ready to approve the expenditure.
“Being an interim setup, they cannot spend money,” he said.
When asked if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) plans to shift matches from Pindi and Lahore to Karachi if his government does not bear the Rs 450 million, the chief minister said he was not aware of it. are
Earlier in the day, the PCB management committee and the franchises discussed the issue. “It was agreed that Rs 450 million for security and other expenses would not be paid to the Punjab government,” sources told the publication.
Sources further said that the PCB is of the position that if the Punjab government continues to ask the board to pay the said amount, it will shift the matches of Lahore and Pindi to Karachi.
Sources also said that this would save money for both the PCB and the six PSL 2023 franchises.
The financial capital Karachi has so far hosted eight of the nine matches in its portion of PSL 2023, with the final match between Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings on Sunday.
The PCB has already paid the outstanding amount of Rs 50 million to the Punjab government, the agreement the board made with the previous government to hold PSL 2023 matches in Punjab. However, a caretaker government led by Mohsin Naqvi took charge last month.
According to the sources, the Sindh government is not demanding any additional money from the PCB and shifting the matches of Pindi and Lahore to Karachi will benefit the stakeholders.
