PSL 2021: Start of tournament may be delayed, say sources

The start of the Pakistan Super League might be delayed due to visa issues, sources told Geo News on Monday.

The officials, privy to the development, said that the Pakistan Cricket Board will announce the dates of the tournament tomorrow (Tuesday).

The report regarding the delay in the start of the tournament came hours after it was confirmed that Quetta Gladiators' captain Sarfraz Ahmed, Zeeshan Ashraf, and Zaid Alam were finally given a visa for the United Arab Emirates and could now participate in the PSL 6 matches.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), out of 13 people whose visas had been delayed, six have been issued visas for the UAE.

Read more: To be, or not to be, Fate of PSL 2021 matches uncertain again

Out of the six people, two belong to Karachi, while the remaining three are from Lahore, the PCB said, adding the visas of the remaining seven people, including cricketers Umer Amin, Asif Afridi, and Muhammad Imran, are still to be issued.

The PCB further added that the six players will fly to the UAE on the morning of June 1.

The flight will reach Abu Dhabi via Bahrain, the PCB said, adding that Sarfraz Ahmed will reach the country at about 7:30 pm via a private airline.

Ahmed’s departure to Abu Dhabi had been delayed twice due to the unavailability of flights, Geo News had earlier reported.

Read more: PCB strengthens coronavirus protocols ahead of remaining PSL 6 matches

The skipper was earlier scheduled to fly to the Gulf nation latest by tonight after the former national team captain was turned away by the immigration officials at Karachi airport over clearance issues a day earlier.

According to sources, the former national team skipper was previously travelling on his residence visa which is not valid anymore. However, he will now be travelling to Abu Dhabi on his visit visa which has been duly issued by the UAE authorities.

The former Pakistan skipper was scheduled to leave via a commercial flight at 4:00am on Sunday but was denied permission to take the flight.

Five people, including fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain, left Karachi for Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The Gladiators skipper had returned to the hotel from the airport and is currently in quarantine.