Pakistan Super League 2026 will be played across two venues, in Karachi and Lahore.
PSL 2026 to be played in only Karachi and Lahore
The first edition of the PSL to feature eight teams, the 2026 season was also expected to be the first to be played across six venues. While Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Multan had hosted PSL games in the past, Faisalabad and Peshawar were expected to debut as PSL venues.
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However, at a press conference earlier today (March 22), the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that, in the aftermath of the ongoing war in the Middle East, PSL 2026 will be played across only two venues, in Karachi and Lahore. The league will start behind closed doors (in other words, in empty stadia), though PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi was optimistic about allowing crowds at a later stage.
“The Prime Minister requested all of Pakistan to restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis,” said Naqvi. “We closed schools and instituted work from home and increased the number of Eid holidays. We don't know how long this war will last.
“Looking at all of this and after discussions with our security agencies, we decided that the PSL would continue as per the original schedule. But we can't ask people to restrict their movements and then have 30,000 people in stadiums every day. We decided that as long as this crisis is ongoing, we will not have crowds at matches. This was a difficult decision, but it needed to be made. The opening ceremony will also be cancelled.”
The PCB will compensate the franchises for the losses they would incur from the lack of ticket sales, and issue refunds to fans who had already purchased tickets to the games.
Naqvi also spoke about the like Blessing Muzarabani and Dasun Shanaka who have signed up for IPL franchises despite having existing PSL contracts (the two leagues will coincide). “We will take action against those players according to the rules. There was a case last year too, and the same thing will happen this time.”
Naqvi’s reference was about Corbin Bosch, whom the PSL had banned for a year when, in 2025, he joined the Mumbai Indians despite having a Peshawar Zalmi contract. Later in the season, Mitch Owen joined the Punjab Kings – but that was after his Zalmi stint was over for the season.
PSL 2026 will run from March 26 to May 3. A revised venue-wise schedule is yet to be released.
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