Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 final will be held in Lahore. The decision was taken after a meeting held in Dubai on Monday between the PSL management, headed by Najam Sethi, and the owners of the five franchises. “There was a meeting held between the PSL management and franchise owners. Among various administrative and event discussions, all the team owners took time to reinforce their solidarity and conviction with the decision of taking the final of the PSL back to its rightful home – the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore,” said a spokesman for the PCB. Though the PSL has maintained from before the start of this season that the final would be held in Lahore, but that status has been shaken up by a series of bombings in Pakistan over the last week. Most pertinent for the venue was a bombing on a major thoroughfare in Lahore last week, near the Punjab Assembly, which claimed the lives of 13 people. But the entire length and breadth of the country has been rocked by a wave of bombings in the last week, including one at a shrine in Sindh which killed more than 80 people. “It has been heart-warming to see the dedication of all the owners to the cause of taking cricket back home and there is a realisation that this final will be the first step in opening the gates to international teams starting to make the journey again. We are all committed to this mission and wish to have a thoroughly entertaining final where it should happen – in Lahore,” added the spokesman.

Earlier, due to security concerns following the wave terrorist activities there had been speculation that the PSL final may not be held in Pakistan after all. Nonetheless, PSL chairman Sethi had promised cricket fans that the final would still be held in Lahore, in the absence of foreign players, if the fans did not want the venue to change following last week’s bombings. But support and assurances from the federal government, from the Punjab government and perhaps most importantly from the Pakistan Army, have meant that the PSL felt confident enough to pursue Lahore. A statement from the Army shortly after the Lahore blast said that the “Army will extend full support to all concerned for holding the event as scheduled.” During the meeting on Monday, the owners of the Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars franchises raised concerns about the security of players and the general public if the match were to be played in Lahore, concerns that were eventually assuaged by Sethi. In a tweet following the meeting, Sethi said: “PSL management and franchises resolve to hold final in Lahore. We invite PM, COAS and CMs to attend the match at Gadaffi Stadium.”

The PCB has taken numerous steps in its planning for the final. The PCB has bought four bulletproof buses for the transport of players, and has previously spoken about planning it such that players fly in and then out immediately either side of the match. The question around the participation of foreign players in the final remains unanswered. Even before this latest wave of attacks, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) issued a report warning that an “acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed” in Pakistan. After the Lahore blast, Sethi briefed foreign players in Dubai but admitted that he was unsure how many would agree to traveling. It is believed that foreign players will be offered separate payments to travel for the final itself, based on a slab system reflecting their status and seniority. The maximum such payment could go as high as $50,000. Franchises have, however, been handed a list of 54 foreign players who, the PCB says, are willing to travel to Lahore for the final. The list comprises players who were left unpicked at the draft, as well as others from outside the pool who have been contacted by the PCB about their availability. They include players from Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, England, South Africa, West Indies and Bangladesh.