Pakistan Super League 2021 (PSL) season six’s remaining 20 matches are likely to take place in the months of September or November, due to the lack of a suitable window in March or June. According to sources, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and franchises are facing difficulties in scheduling the remaining 20 matches of the event after it was postponed due to a rise in Covid-19 cases among players and support staff officials.
Only 14 games were completed in the 34-match tournament. One of the various options was to hold the remaining matches towards March-end but that will clash with Pakistan’s proposed tour of South Africa.
Fawad Ahmed And Tom Banton Tested Positive For Covid-19 Which Led To Postponement Of PSL 2021
Fawad Ahmed, Tom Banton, and another Islamabad United player besides one support staff member with the Karachi Kings (Kamran Khan) testing positive for Covid-19 have led to concerns which eventually led to the postponement of PSL 2021.
PCB believes that delaying an international series won’t be a good thing to do while it also doesn’t want to ruin its relationship with Cricket South Africa. Chartered flights have also been booked for the Pakistan team so chances of matches taking place in March are very slim.
June is also a viable option on the table but the hot weather, during that time of the year in Pakistan, and the availability of England players, due to Vitality Blast which starts on June 9, could be a hindrance in this regard. Also, foreign players would be tired after taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) which ends on May 30.
Pakistan Super League 2021 May Take Place In September Or November After T20 World Cup
Although, franchises want the matches remaining in Pakistan Super League 2021 to take place as soon as possible as the months of September when no international series is planned, and November, after T20 World Cup, seems to be the only viable options on the table at the moment.
Pakistan Super League 2021 has seen the participation of several star players like Babar Azam, Colin Ingram, Chris Gayle, Faf Du Plessis, Ben Cutting, Joe Denly, David Miller, Ravi Bopara, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Alex Hales, Imran Tahir, Carlos Braithwaite, Chris Lynn, and Shahid Afridi among others.
Earlier, reports emerged that Pakistan Super League 2021 can directly clash with the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which will run in the month of April and May. In such a scenario, players like Faf du Plessis, Chris Gayle, Chris Lynn, Imran Tahir, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nabi who are named in both leagues will have to make a choice between IPL 2021 and PSL 2021.