BCCI officials were invited to attend PSL final before tensions emerged due to Pulwama attack, says PCB chief Ehsan Mani

Karachi: BCCI officials rejected the invitation by PCB to attend the final of the Pakistan Super League to be held in Karachi on 17 March. PCB informed on Thursday that the BCCI officials will not attend the final due to personal reasons. Tensions emerged between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama attack on 14 February. The two cricket boards had been at loggerheads for some time and after the attack, the relationship between the two boards took another hitting. BCCI had written to ICC, post the attack, that the world body should sever ties with those countries who support terrorism. ICC, however, declined the request, stating that it does not have the authority to do so. [caption id=“attachment_5302221” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image of BCCI. AFP[/caption] Mani however said invitations were sent out to senior officials of India, England, Ireland, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka cricket boards before relations between India and Pakistan had deteriorated after the ghastly Pulwama terror attack. A PCB official said that invitations to the ICC Chairman, CEO and heads of its affiliated boards were sent out before relations between India and Pakistan had deteriorated in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. Eight PSL matches, including the final, is slated to be held at the National Stadium here under tight security with soldiers from the paramilitary Rangers, Frontier Corps and the Sindh Police being deputed to avert any eventuality. Initially, the PCB had scheduled three matches in Lahore and five including the final in Karachi but due to the closure of Lahore airspace in the aftermath of the border tensions with India, all the eight games have now been shifted to Karachi. With inputs from PTI