The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday reportedly requested the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to increase crowd capacity to 50 percent during the upcoming Lahore leg matches of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL).
According to a report in Geo News, sources privy to the matter said that the Pakistan board is hopeful that the NCOC will allow it to increase the capacity for the Lahore matches as the Covid-19 situation is better in the city when compared to Karachi, which is the venue for the firts-leg of the ongoing PSL season.
“A decision is expected within the next couple of days,” the source was quoed as saying by Geo News.
Earlier on January 19, the NCOC had lowered crowd capacity to 25 percent for the Karachi leg matches of the ongoing PSL season while children under the age of 12 were barred from entering the stadium.
Prior to that, the NCOC had approved 100 percent crowd attendance however, a sudden spike in Omicron variant of the Covid-19 cases across Karachi, the decision was changed.
Earlier on Wednesday, the security plan for the Lahore-led matches were finalised during the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order meeting at Civil Secretariat.
The meeting, which was chaired by Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat, was attended by provincial ministers Ansar Majeed Niazi, Rai Taimoor Bhatti and senior civil and police officers.
During the meeting, Basharat informed that the PSL players and officials will be given the status of stated guests in the city.
“A final rehearsal will be held by the Lahore district administration and police ahead of the matches on February 4 and 6,” the minister said, adding that the security plan will be enforced in the city from February 7.
Meanwhile, Basharat also directed the concerned authorities to make sure that the CCTV cameras in the surroundings of Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and are fully operational during the matches.
Notably, Lahore is scheduled to host 19 PSL matches including the playoffs, starting from February 10.
Earlier as part of the preparations, lights were installed around the historic Gaddafi stadium and renovation work were also done at the stadium ahead of the second-leg matches.
Schedule of matches at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
10 Feb – Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi
11 Feb – Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans
12 Feb – Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators
13 Feb – Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings; Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators
14 Feb – Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings
15 Feb – Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators
16 Feb – Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings
17 Feb – Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi
18 Feb – Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators; Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings
19 Feb – Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United
20 Feb – Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings; Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United
21 Feb – Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi
23 Feb – Qualifier (1 vs 2)
24 Feb – Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4)
25 Feb – Eliminator 2 (Loser Qualifier 1 vs Winner Eliminator 1)
27 Feb – (Qualifier v Eliminator 2) Final