The Punjab government has demanded an additional Rs450 million from Pakistan’s Cricket Board (PCB) for the security of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi on February 26 and March 1.
Following the demands from the Punjab government, the Pakistan Cricket Board convened an emergency meeting with the six HBL Pakistan Super League franchise owners on Friday to inform them of this demand.
According to reliable sources, the provincial government has submitted a bill for Rs450 million and the Rs50 million previously paid for the same purpose.
The PCB’s past practice indicates that PCB pays Rs. 50 million to the provincial government for security and other arrangements; however, the caretaker government in Punjab, headed by Mohsin Naqvi, demands more. According to an article published last week, the Punjab government asked for Rs 800 million for the provincial matches.
After all matches in Multan have concluded, Sunday will mark the conclusion of this year’s T20 spectacular in Karachi.
The final, one qualifier, and two eliminators will all occur in Lahore, and tickets have already been acquired in Rawalpindi and the Punjabi capital.
But, the PCB has opted not to pay such a large payment after incurring substantial losses totaling Rs. 1 billion while organizing the Pakistan Junior League under the supervision of former chairman Ramiz Raja. Thus, the franchise meeting on Friday could result in the relocation of matches from Lahore and Rawalpindi to Karachi.
In sharp contrast to the Punjab government, the Sindh government requested Rs30 million to fund matches in Karachi.
Sources revealed that even when the PSL was organized in the United Arab Emirates, the PCB never incurred such a hefty security cost.
“Because the PSL is a national brand and serves an important national purpose, the PCB believes that the government should support it entirely.”
On the other hand, Punjab’s caretaker govt claims that for the security of the teams, they required Installations of lights on the route of the teams’ 12- to 15-kilometer travels from hotels to stadiums in Lahore and Rawalpindi, the power must be given from a generator, is the largest security expense involved with PSL matches.
There have been discussions about constructing hotels closer to the stadiums to minimize the expense of security. Still, neither the government nor the PCB has shown a significant interest in collaborating with the private sector to make this a reality.
 for the security of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi on February 26 and March 1.){kind=link}