PSL 2019 games moved from Lahore to Karachi

The Pakistan Cricket Board has moved three PSL games from Lahore to Karachi due to the military tension between Pakistan and India.

Much of Pakistan airspace has been closed, including in Lahore, which borders India on the north, following recent hostilities between the nations.

All eight of the Pakistan Super League matches scheduled in Pakistan will now be held at the National Stadium in Karachi, starting with Thursday's encounter between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi and culminating in the final on March 17.

The start of the tournament, now in its fourth year, has been held in the United Arab Emirates, with legs in Dubai and Sharjah - the four-match Abu Dhabi section starts on Monday.

"This has been a difficult and tough decision," said Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman. "Due to the recent and prevailing uncertainty, we felt it critical to make a decisive decision at this juncture.

"Ensuring all matches are played in Pakistan falls in line with our vision to take all eight matches of the PSL to the people of Pakistan.

"We also looked at swapping matches between Lahore and Karachi, but paucity of time would have rendered this option unworkable.

"It is unfortunate that the headquarters of Pakistan cricket will be unable to host the PSL matches in 2019 but this is a small sacrifice for a bigger and larger national cause.

"We have spoken with the franchisees, who have backed this decision and have reinforced that all their foreign players will feature in the last eight matches.

"The PCB appreciates and applauds the support of the franchisees as well as the players, who understand that the evolving situation has forced us to make these amendments to the event schedule."