Even if foreign cricketers decide not to play, PSL 2017 final will be in Lahore

The first edition of the Pakistan Super League took place in 2016, but cricket fans from the region could not watch the action from the home grounds. The PSL took shape in the United Arab Emirates due to security reasons, but the PCB have now confirmed that Lahore will host the prestigious event final in the second edition.

Pakistan Super League vs Indian Premier League matches on cards

For the all-important final, the PCB are set to provide strong security to all the players as the cricket board has already brought four bullet proof buses as well. Cricket fans in Pakistan will be pleased with PCB confirming the venue. They can now dream of watching the PSL final in Pakistan. However, they will still miss a majority of the matches, which will not be played in Pakistan. 

There are number of foreign players, who might not be willing to travel to Pakistan due to security reasons even if their team reach the final. The same scenario may arise, and PCB are fully prepared for that as they will have a separate draft ready for players willing to play in Pakistan.

It was in the PCB's recent governing board meeting that they decided to finalise Lahore as the venue.

"Once the teams for the finals are decided and their icon or foreign players refuse to travel to Lahore, we will make a new draft with a pool from the existing 30-35 players of PSL," ESPNcricinfo quoted Najam Sethi, PCB's head of executive committee as saying.

"We will probably need about five to ten players for Lahore, and those players who would be available from the discarded three teams can then get picked through this draft for the final."

Such initiatives by the PCB shows their desperate attempt to bring back cricket matches to Pakistan. Top international teams do not travel to Pakistan amid security concerns, and Pakistan also play their home matches in the UAE.