PM Shehbaz Sharif guarantees Sethi of his support for PSL 8 security budget

•  Najam Sethi is the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee.
• PCB and PSL franchises unanimously decided not to pay Punjab government additional Rs450 million.
• The revised schedule has been discussed with the franchises.

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, promised Najam Sethi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, “full support” for the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Punjab.

The development happened after Sethi contacted the premier, who also serves as the patron-in-chief of the PCB, on Sunday to inform him of the impasse with the interim Punjab government.

Sources claim that Sethi reiterated the PCB won’t cover the additional expense for security arrangements during his conversation with PM Shehbaz. The Punjab government must drop the demand, he continued, or the PCB will be forced to move matches to Karachi.

It should be noted that the PCB and PSL franchises unanimously decided on Friday not to pay the Punjab government an additional Rs450 million.

Meanwhile, the revised schedule has been discussed with the franchises in case the matches are moved to Karachi.

Because of the impasse, white-ball matches between Pakistan and New Zealand in April and May could be moved out of Punjab.

In contrast, interim Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi stated that the provincial cabinet is opposed to the bill being waived. However, a cabinet meeting has been scheduled for Saturday to discuss the situation.

“Last year, Rs600 million was spent on security arrangements for PSL matches in Punjab,” Naqvi explained. “We don’t have the authority to spend such a large sum because we are an interim setup. The cabinet is also opposed to such a cost.”

As of right now, Lahore will host nine games, while Rawalpindi will host 11 games.

Lahore will also host the closing ceremony, playoffs, and final.

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