PSL X Moved to Dubai After Indian Drone Crashed Outside Rawalpindi Stadium
The decision was supported by franchise owners and stakeholders after multiple consultations.
The remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 have been relocated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), due to escalating tensions and military conflicts between Pakistan and India.
This decision came after a drone attack near Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which caused damage and raised serious security concerns for players and officials.
An Indian drone crashed near Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium just hours before a scheduled Pakistan Super League (PSL) match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings pic.twitter.com/V9Z7IVpSGt
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the shift on May 9, 2025, citing the need to ensure the safety and mental well-being of both domestic and foreign players amid ongoing hostilities, including Indian airstrikes and drone attacks on Pakistani cities.
The affected fixtures include key matches such as Karachi Kings vs. Peshawar Zalmi, Peshawar Zalmi vs. Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United vs. Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans vs. Quetta Gladiators, as well as the playoff matches and the final. The PCB stated that the exact dates and venues in the UAE will be announced in due course.
This relocation follows an emergency meeting after a drone was reportedly shot down near the Rawalpindi stadium, and several foreign players expressed concerns over their safety. The move also aligns with similar adjustments in Indian cricket, where an Indian Premier League (IPL) match was relocated due to the conflict.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi emphasised that while politics and sports should ideally remain separate, the recent targeting of a cricket stadium necessitated the move to protect all participants in the PSL.
“The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart. However, in view of the extremely irresponsible and dangerous Indian act of targeting the stadium, the PCB has taken this decision,” Naqvi was quoted as saying in the statement.
“We have shifted the remaining matches to the UAE so that the domestic as well as foreign cricketers, who are our precious guests, can be saved from the possible reckless targeting by India.”
