The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed on February 25 that the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will have 50 percent crowds for rest of the games. The cricket board has recently got permission from country’s National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to increase the number of spectators.
The decision means that around 19,000 fans could go to Karachi’s National Stadium to watch the PSL games and the Gaddafi Stadium of Lahore will have its capacity capped to 27,000 during the four playoffs. Although, the decision about increasing the capacity for Lahore games would be assessed upon how fans present at Karachi would follow the procedures in place.
In the early days of the competition, the crowd capacities were set at 20 percent, with stringent Covid-19 measures and norms in place. The fans were asked to wear a mask in the stands and fans sitting in groups have to belong to same household.
PCB’s chief executive Wasim Khan has urged spectators to wear masks, maintain social distancing, and regularly use hand sanitizers inside the stadium. Khan further explained the process and said, “As a starting point, we have decided to immediately increase crowd attendances for all Karachi-leg matches to 50 percent. However, we will continue to assess how the crowds follow and implement the SOPs before we make a decision on crowd attendances for the Lahore-leg matches.”
The ongoing season of Pakistan’s premier T20 league is the second edition of the PSL that is solely played in the country. The 2021 season of PSL got commenced on February 20 and it is only being contested at two elite venues in Lahore and Karachi. The increase in capacity will mean that PCB will get a bigger matchday revenue.