Image Credit- PSL
There was eerie calm
at the National Stadium Karachi as Usman Khan struck a single down to mid-off
to guarantee Multan Sultans’ spot in their fourth PSL final in a row. It wasn’t
because the audience anticipated a different result; rather, it was because
there wasn’t much of a crowd for the game. The Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi, the
two greatest teams in the competition thus far, shook hands in front of a
nearly empty stadium. This was an awkward scene for a league that prides itself
on being the second best in the world.
This tournament,
Karachi’s paucity of fans in comparison to the other three locations has been a
focal point; but, since Ramzan started earlier this week, it has come into even
more glaring relief. In order to guarantee there was ample time after iftar at
sunset, the games started at 9 p.m. local time and ended far into midnight.
All of the remaining games are set to take place in Karachi, therefore the
prospect of the semifinal and championship games taking place in front of a
mostly empty stadium has concerned PSL officials because of the potential
damage it would do to the tournament’s reputation.
Although Kings are
out of the competition, it is thought that there is absolutely no chance that
any further games would be moved outside of Karachi. It is believed that such a
shift would provide overwhelming logistical obstacles. Although there have been
last-minute venue changes in the past, most notably in 2019 when a spike in
tensions between India and Pakistan led to the last round of games being moved
from Lahore to Karachi, the PCB does not think this is feasible given the short
window.
However, the most
perplexing matter—about which there have been few official explanations—relates
to the PSL final day. The PSL has a rest day this Sunday and the final will be
held on the following Monday, a working day, in defiance of every prior custom
and usual procedure to ensure finals fall on the weekend.
Multiple explanations were cited by sources within the PSL’s organisation for
the unusual scheduling. In addition to trying to prevent one of the teams
competing in the final from having back-to-back games, they stated that they
wanted to allow all teams to play as many home games as possible “without
breaking momentum”.
Within the PCB, there is a confident belief that interest in the PSL final can
be taken for granted, regardless of the day, time, or city it is held in.
The next three days
will reveal how well-placed that confidence is.