Pakistan Rocked By Bomb Blast Just Two Days Before Start Of PSL
Published - 18 Feb 2020, 01:07 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 06:44 AM
Just when it looked like normalcy is returning to Pakistan cricket, the country has been rocked by yet another bomb blast. There was a suicide bomb attack near a religious rally in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday. The incident has taken place just two days before the start of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which gets underway on February 20.
Quetta is the home of PSL outfit Quetta Gladiators. According to Pakistani media, the deadly blast has killed at least fifteen people and wounded more than two dozens. The area has always been prone to such incidents. Last month, there were two blasts in the same city.
In the first week of January, a bomb explosion claimed two lives in Quetta. Just three days later, a powerful blast at a mosque during Friday evening prayers killed at least 16 people, including an Imam and a senior police officer, and left 20 others injured.
PSL Champions Quetta Gladiators media session with journalists in Karachi as Gladiators shared their feelings and experiences ahead of #HBLPSLV #WeTheGladiators pic.twitter.com/5ZAWz8qdWV
— Quetta Gladiators (@TeamQuetta) February 17, 2020
The recent turn of events could cause some big problems for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who are gearing up to host the entire PSL in the country for the very first time. In the last two seasons, a number of overseas players refused to visit Pakistan even for a few games, citing security reasons.
For the upcoming season, a total of 36 overseas players have arrived in Pakistan. The PCB had to host the entire first edition of the PSL in 2016 in UAE. In 2017, PCB held the PSL final at Lahore. In 2018, four matches were organized at Lahore and Karachi – with the rest in the UAE – while last year Karachi hosted eight matches.
But the promising situation in recent times helped PCB convince the players to visit Pakistan for the entire competition this year before the Quetta blasts took place. Fortunately for PCB, Quetta will not host any game this season. Only four venues – Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan – will host the 34 games this season. Quetta Gladiators will play three matches in Lahore, four in Karachi, one in Multan and two in Rawalpindi.
