PSL 2021 postponed indefinitely after six players, one support staff member test COVID-19 positive

Karachi: The Pakistan Super League has been postponed indefinitely after six players and a support staffer tested positive for COVID-19, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Thursday.

Representational photo. Image credit: Twitter/@pib_gov

The PCB said in a statement that the decision was taken after a virtual meeting with owners of the six PSL teams.

"The PCB, as an immediate step, will focus on the safe and secure passage of all participants," the cricket board said, adding that it will also make arrangements of further COVID-19 testing, provide vaccines and will also assist in providing isolation facilities.

Karachi had hosted 14 of the 20 preliminary round matches before the event was due to move to Lahore for the remaining 14 games on 10 March.

Earlier on Thursday, the tally of infected individuals in the PSL biosecure bubble rose to seven after three more unnamed cricketers from two teams tested positive for COVID-19.

Islamabad United's two foreign cricketers, including Australian leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed, an unnamed foreign cricketer and a support staff member from one of the teams were already in isolation after being tested positive earlier this week.

The league was postponed for a day last Monday when Ahmed tested positive for COVID-19.

On 21 February, Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz and head coach Daren Sammy were allowed to rejoin their squad after an appeal against a quarantine for breaching COVID-19 protocols was accepted by the PCB.

Riaz and Sammy breached the team's biosecure bubble on Feb. 19 when they met with their team owner, who was not part of the biosecure bubble.

But they rejoined the team following two negative COVID-19 tests after they were spared a three-day quarantine when their appeal was accepted by the PSL committee.