PSL returns to Karachi — but where’s the hype?

After a long hiatus, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) returned to Karachi on November 14, but only amid dampened spirits and void of the liveliness that would otherwise surround the cricket tournament.

Karachi has been selected as the venue for the remaining matches of the PSL V, earlier suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

On March 12, while the sporting event was underway and Covid-19 had just reared its head in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board, on the advice of the Sindh government, had decided to hold the remaining matches behind closed doors. However, they were eventually put off for an indefinite period when a player began showing virus symptoms.

The tournament has resumed now, but fans complain it's not the same anymore. For one, there are still no spectators allowed. And so, they believe the relevant authorities haven't put in much effort into promoting the matches this time around.

"They [the authorities] haven't made much effort but social media has somewhat enlivened the tournament," commented Hammad Bin Saleem, a cricket enthusiast.

Yet others understand that the subdued festivities serve a greater cause.

Another cricket fan, Ibrahim Ali, said in this regard: "Even though we are missing the festivities this time, keeping the pandemic in mind, I think it is rational not to let people crowd together and risk putting their health and safety at risk just for the sake of entertainment."

Karachi administrator Iftikhar Shallwani, on the other hand, attributes the lack of hype surrounding the tournament to limited time.

He implied the city administration did not get enough time to make preparations for the event as the matches were initially planned to be played in Gaddafi Stadium, in Lahore, but had to be shifted to Karachi after smog blanketed the former, adding that the festivities had also been deliberately low-key, given the prevalence of Covid-19. "But we awarded contracts for decorating the city to private firms and they have decked up some roundabouts," he said.

According to cricket analyst Kamran Muzaffer, it is also not financially viable for the authorities to spend large sums on promoting just four matches and make arrangements like those made for the previous matches.

Urging cricket fans to understand that the situation was not the same as before due to which the authorities had to make some tough decisions, he remarked, "The world we are living in now has completely changed. The situation is not ideal and it is better not to pin hopes on getting the ideal."

Amid all this, one thing that has remained unchanged is the traffic jams, as roads continued to be blocked for commuters on the pretext of security and designating routes for transporting players to and from the National Stadium.

"Traffic has worsened due to the PSL and this happens every time the National Stadium hosts a match," decried Ali. "This makes me wish that these matches are played in any other city but Karachi."

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2020.