SRINAGAR, (PTK): In the wake of Pulwama attack, sports channel DSport, the official broadcaster of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in India, has pulled the plug on the Twenty20 tournament, the Pakistan version of the IPL.
The current edition of the league, which is in its fourth season, was launched with a fanfare in Dubai on Thursday. The six-team tournament is underway in the UAE and its final leg will move to Pakistan with Karachi and Lahore hosting the games.
But the ‘show’ has stopped, at least in India. DSport stopped the broadcast from last night (Saturday). The telecast of the Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings match, which had started at 9.30 pm, was not available live on the channel. The announcement, though, continued to reflect ‘Pakistan Super League (Live) from 9.30 pm’. In the night, it showed the Afghan Premier League. The confirmation, though, came a little late. “We’ve suspended the broadcast,” a top channel official told Mirror late on Saturday night.
The channel was to blackout the tournament from Friday night itself but had some technical issues. The India feed was apparently linked to some other countries as well and extricating the India feed from the other countries was not immediately possible.
“We’re seized of the matter and it is a topic that is occupying our minds. We’re sensitive to the national issues and we’re considering how to do it. There are a few technical issues involved,” the official had told this newspaper before taking the decision to blackout the league. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did not respond to a query from Mirror.
The PSL, thought to be producing quality cricket with a lot of international participation, has always been an untouchable property in India. It had no takers in its first two years and the matches were available only on the
web. But last year, D Sport picked up the rights, only to have to stop the broadcast in the wake of the Pulwama attack. “I’m surprised that they have not stopped so far. It’s a national issue,” Harish Thawani, who held the Indian cricket rights for six years, told Mirror before DSport pulled the plug on the league. (PTK)
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