UAE Rejects Pakistan's Request to Host PSL; Jay Shah Plays a Key Role

The 10th edition of Pakistan Super League began on April 11. The tournament has been played at a different time this year, but produced exciting games. The PSL is the biggest franchise league in Pakistan and probably the country’s biggest cricket carnival.

The tournament witnessed some of the top players across the world locking horns with each other. The tournament started with the defending champions Islamabad United playing Lahore Qalandars at Rawalpindi on April 11, Friday.

The second day of the tournament featured a double-header with the first match being played at Rawalpindi and the second one at Karachi. The tournament was slated to go on for more than a month, with the final to on May 18. However, it was suspended midway after the match between Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United on May 7. We will learn about the PSL Schedule 2025 in this article.

PSL 2025 Venues

The PSL 2025 was played across four cities in Pakistan – Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan. Rawalpindi hosted the tournament opener and also the qualifier. The remaining playoffs, including the final, were slated to be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

A total of six teams have participated in the tournament, and promised to be an enthralling one. The six participating teams are Islamabad United, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, and Quetta Gladiators.

PSL 2025 Schedule

The above given are all the PSL Schedule 2025 Matches for the season. There is a gap of two days between the group stage matches and the playoffs. The last match of the group stage will be played between Islamabad United and Karachi Kings at Rawalpindi on May 10 while the Qualifier will be played on May 13.

Huge Blow for PSL

The 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League was moved from Pakistan to the UAE due to the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan across the border. The 27th match of PSL between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings was cancelled due to the attacks near the stadium. As a result, the PCB decided to shift the tournament to the UAE.

However, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) denied the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) permission to host the tournament in the UAE because of the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. It was a huge blow for Pakistan as they were looking to host the remaining tournament in the UAE. The new PSL Schedule 2025 Dates are yet to be announced by the PCB before ECB's denial came up.

Jay Shah's Key Role in ECB's Denial to PCB

According to a report in Cricbuzz, ICC Chairman Jay Shah has played a key role in not allowing the remaining PSL matches to be hosted in the UAE. Shah has good relations with the Emirates Cricket Board and its leadership, and thus, was successful in denying PCB to host the remaining PSL matches in the UAE.

ECB's secretary general, Mubashir Usmani, is originally from Mumbai, and his relations with the former BCCI secretary have been good ever since the hosting of the partial IPL season in the UAE in 2020. "We owe it to the BCCI and Jay (Shah) Bhai," an ECB official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Islamabad United - The Defending Champions

Islamabad United are the defending champions of PSL, having won the title back in 2024 when they defeated Multan Sultans in the final. The United will be playing the first game of the tournament at their home ground.

Islamabad United emerged as the winners of the tournament in the league’s inaugural edition in 2016 and then won the title in 2018 as well. However, it took them six more years to win their next PSL title.

The United have won the PSL title three times, which is the most by any team in the league’s history. Lahore Qalandars have won the title twice while Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, and Karachi Kings have won it once so far.