PSL granted permission to fill 20 percent of venues during matches

PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said that the measures taken were the initial steps, but lauded it as a 'positive achievement'.

Aerial view of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, one of the venues of the Pakistan Super League.

Spectators will be allowed inside cricket stadiums in Pakistan this month for the first time in the coronavirus pandemic after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said, on Thursday, it received permission from the government to allow 20% capacity crowds at Pakistan Super League (PSL) games.

“The decision means around 7,500 ticketed spectators will be allowed access inside the National Stadium (in Karachi) per match day, while around 5,500 will be able to attend each match day at the Gaddafi Stadium (in Lahore),” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.

 

PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said that the measures taken were the initial steps, but lauded it as a 'positive achievement'.

“These are baby steps and, considering that most sports events are being played in empty stadiums, this is a positive achievement,” Mani said.

In March last year, four PSL matches were held in closed stadiums and the playoffs in Lahore postponed to November in an empty National Stadium in Karachi.

 

The sixth edition of the PSL begins on February 20 with Karachi hosting the first 20 games and Lahore hosting the remaining 14 matches, including the final on March 22.