Lahore
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has postponed all ongoing men’s domestic cricket tournaments in the country due to rising border tensions with India. The decision, announced on Saturday, affects major domestic events like the President’s Trophy Grade-II, Regional Intra-District Challenge Cup, and the Inter-District U19 One-Day tournament.
In a statement, PCB said the tournaments will resume from where they stopped and a revised schedule will be shared later. The announcement follows the suspension of IPL 2025 in India for a week due to the same tensions. The PCB had already postponed the Pakistan Super League (PSL) indefinitely, on advice from Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Just hours before this domestic suspension, PCB had hinted at shifting the remaining eight PSL matches to the UAE but did not provide exact dates or venues. The league's uncertainty grew after a drone crashed near Rawalpindi Stadium, leading to the postponement of a scheduled match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings.
The cricket disruption reflects larger regional unrest. Two weeks ago, 26 people were killed in Pahalgam, a tourist area in Jammu & Kashmir, in a terrorist attack. In response, India launched 'Operation Sindoor' to dismantle terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
On Friday, Pakistan retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Indian border cities and military bases across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. However, Indian defence systems successfully intercepted all threats. The conflict has heightened security concerns in both countries, affecting cricket and public life alike.