After weeks of back and forth among the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the interim Punjab government, it has been announced that the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 8) will take place in Lahore and Rawalpindi as planned.
The standoff arose when the provincial government demanded a payment of PKR500 million from the PCB to host the encounters in Lahore and Rawalpindi. Although the board had already paid PKR50 million to cover expenses on food, it refused to pay the remaining PKR450 million for lighting and security purposes.
This left the interim government with no choice but to suggest moving the Punjab-leg of the PSL 8 to Karachi to avoid the costs of lighting and security.
However, the situation has since shifted, and sources now reveal that the interim Government of Punjab has decided to be flexible on lights, security, and other expenses. The Punjab government will bear fifty percent of the bill payment, with the other fifty percent being covered by the PCB.
The parties are set to meet today to finalize the deal and end the deadlock. It is hoped that this resolution will ensure that the PSL 8 will proceed as planned, with matches in Lahore beginning on February 26 and Rawalpindi hosting matches from March 1.
Dr. Javed Akram, Minister of Health from the interim government, has confirmed that the matches will not be shifted to Karachi and will take place in Lahore and Rawalpindi as previously scheduled.
This is welcome news for cricket fans across Pakistan, who have been eagerly anticipating the PSL 8. Despite the initial difficulties, it seems that both the PCB and the interim government have found a workable solution to ensure that the tournament can go ahead as planned.
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