The Pakistan Super League 2021 season, which was halted last month due to the Covid-19 outbreak, is all set to resume on June 1 and the final slated on June 20.
The Pakistan Cricket Board have decided to outsource the management for bio-security protocols to an international firm as PSL is set to return on June 1. The dates have been announced, with the tournament resuming on June 1 and the final scheduled on June 20. The twenty remaining matches will all be held at Karachi.
The sixth season of the Pakistan Super League was discontinued after a Covid-19 outbreak among the players making it impossible to carry on with the tournament. Several incidents raised questions about the security of players and the implementation of the protocols.
The board and the medical panel was heavily criticised for the embarrassing situation. Dr Sohail Saleem, the head of that panel, is being released after he had submitted his resignation due to the season debacle. A two-person fact-finding commission has given a report and made recommendations that the PCB Governors have discussed in a meeting on Saturday.
“The BoG discussed and debated the panel’s findings in detail. They expressed their disappointment at the failures that were highlighted in the report and advised remedial actions needed to be taken,”
the PCB release said.
“The BoG endorsed all recommendations of the fact-finding panel, including robust and stringent implementation of the protocols, as well as maintaining a zero-tolerance approach towards all those who breach the Covid-19 SOPs, which are put in place for safeguarding the health and safety of all participants.”
The PCB is now close to roping in an international firm to manage the bio-security protocols.
“The BoG was informed that as part of the strategy to ensure the HBL PSL 6 resumed and completed in a safe and secure environment, the PCB was in final stages of appointing a globally-recognised safety management company that specialises in providing Covid-safe technology solutions, bio-secure monitoring & management, as well as response and reaction to positive tests.”
The mandatory seven-day quarantine period is put in place for the players and staff, starting from May 22. The teams will get three days of training sessions before the season resumes on June 1 with a contest between Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United.
The Revised Schedule of PSL 2021
The PCB have announced the revised schedule for the remainder of the sixth season. All the twenty matches will take place at National Stadium, Karachi.
The evening matches start at 8 pm local time; for double-headers, the first match will begin at 5 pm local while the second match will begin at 10 pm.
| June 1 | Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United |
| June 2 | Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings |
| June 3 | Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators |
| June 4 | Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars |
| June 5 | Islamabad United v Karachi Kings (D); Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators (N) |
| June 6 | Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings |
| June 7 | Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandar |
| June 8 | Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi |
| June 9 | Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars |
| June 10 | Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings |
| June 11 | Multan Sultans v Islamabad United |
| June 12 | Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi (D); Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars (N) |
| June 13 | Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi |
| June 14 | Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars |
| June 15 | – |
| June 16 | Qualifier (1 v 2) |
| June 17 | Eliminator 1 (3 v 4) |
| June 18 | Eliminator 2 (loser Qualifier v winner Eliminator 1 |
| June 19 | – |
| June 20 | Final (N) |
