Jay Shah’s influence behind UAE’s rejection of PCB’s PSL 2025 hosting request

New Delhi: Due to India-Pakistan tensions, plans to relocate the remaining Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 matches to the United Arab Emirates were rejected by the Emirates Cricket Board. Consequently, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced an indefinite postponement of the tournament. Speculation suggests that the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, Jay Shah, may have influenced this decision.

Indian cricket officials, reportedly led by Jay Shah, successfully lobbied the ECB against hosting the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2025, according to Cricbuzz. Shah’s close ties with ECB members are thought to have been instrumental in this decision.

“We owe it to the BCCI and Jay Bhai,” an ECB official confirmed to Cricbuzz the reason behind their decision not to host the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2025.

“When soldiers are dying at the border, we cannot keep quiet,” an Indian cricket official said.

The ECB initially rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) request to use the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL). Subsequently, the ECB’s proposed rental fee was deemed excessively high by the PCB, given their current financial constraints.

Due to the India-Pakistan situation, several foreign players participating in the PSL 2025 reportedly expressed a desire to return home. Their decision was reportedly motivated by concern for their players’ mental well-being and the anxieties of their families.

“We, at the PCB, also have sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home,” a PCB official told the publication.

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