Bangladesh all-rounder Rishad Hossain recalled the challenges faced by overseas players in PSL 2025 amid escalating border tensions between Pakistan and India.
The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was postponed on May 9, shortly after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended the concurrently running IPL for a week.
Due to military tensions between the two nations, players in both franchise leagues faced logistical challenges as airspace closures disrupted travel. Overseas PSL participants were evacuated to the UAE before arranging flights to their home countries.
Rishad, who represented Lahore Qalandars, recounted the difficulties faced by overseas players in Pakistan during the crisis.
“Alhamdulillah, we have reached Dubai after overcoming a crisis, and I am feeling well now. After landing in Dubai when we heard that a missile struck the airport 20 minutes after we took off from the airport. The news was scary as well as sorrowful and now after reaching Dubai we are feeling relieved.
"So it ends, for now at least, with the lights literally going out on the biggest show in cricket."@Ben_Wisden on why the India-Pakistan conflict could determine the shape of cricket for years to come.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 9, 2025
Read here ➡️ https://t.co/aoZ45rcZLf pic.twitter.com/1H254ANQpm
“Whenever I go out to play, my family worries for me whether the situation is good or not and now when they heard the news about Pakistan – the bomb-blasts and the missile-strikes here and there – naturally they were in tension. I personally tried to console them and tell them not to worry about me and they were quite normal,” Rishad told reporters at the Dubai airport, as per a BDCrictime video.
Rishad and pacer Nahid Rana, who represented Peshawar Zalmi, were the two Bangladeshi internationals in PSL 2025. Rishad revealed that Rana was visibly shaken by the unfolding events.
"Nahid Rana was very quiet, maybe for the tension, as I understood. I kept telling him not to be tense and hopefully nothing would happen to us. Alhamdulillah, we reached Dubai safely," Rishad said.
Rishad: Tom Curran started crying like a child
Rishad stated that several foreign players were frightened, including New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell – who vowed never to return to Pakistan – and England’s Tom Curran, who, according to him, was “crying like a child”.
“Foreign players like Sam Billings, Daryl Mitchell, Kushal Perera, David Wiese, Tom Curran ... all of them were so frightened ... Landing in Dubai, Mitchell told me that he would never go to Pakistan again, especially in this kind of scenario. Overall, they all were horrified,” said Rishad.
"He [Tom Curran] went to the airport, but heard that the airport was closed. Then he started crying like a little child, that it took two or three people to handle him.”
Rishad also revealed that the PCB initially planned to host the remaining PSL matches in Karachi, but reversed the decision after players expressed safety concerns during a meeting with board chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
“The meeting was basically called to know our concerns, what we think about the current scenario. Almost all the foreign players said that the only safe place available for the later part of the tournament is Dubai.
“Yes, the PCB chair tried to convince us to conduct the remaining matches in Karachi. At that time, he tried to hide from us that there were two drone attacks just the day before which we came to know later. Later all of us took the decision (to shift to Dubai), and the PCB Chairman helped us a lot to reach Dubai safely by the grace of Almighty Allah. Thanks to him and the Pakistan Cricket Board," he revealed.
After four days of cross-border military engagements, the two nations declared a ceasefire on Saturday (May 10).
