PSL 2022 to be staged in January-February to avoid clash with IPL
The next edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be staged in the January-February window to avoid a possible clash with the IPL. The PSL generally takes place in February-March, but in 2022, Australia are slated to tour Pakistan around that time, which forced the PCB to find a new window.
The PCB has confirmed that the seventh edition of the PSL will be played in the window of January-February, next year. The tournament is expected to start in early January, while it will most likely continue till the third week of February. Lahore and Karachi have been locked as the hosts of the tournament and they will be staging 17 games each. The grand final of the tourney will be hosted at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. This is a new window which the PCB were forced to create, owing to the possibility of Pakistan hosting Australia at home.
So, the challenge for the PCB was to find a window either before the Australia series or after it. Had they scheduled the tournament after the Australia series, it would have meant a possible clash with the IPL, which takes place in April-May. It could have proven to be detrimental for the tournament, given the clash would have impacted the broadcast deals and the availability of the star players. Though the PSL 2022 will clash with the next year's BBL, and that is likely to impact the availability of some notable players.Ā
COVID-19 has given a hard time to the PSL, pretty much like it has to every other tournament around the globe and has seen the tournament taking place in two phases in the last two editions. It remains to be seen how it pans out next year.Ā