The Pakistan Cricket Board has introduced a tweak to the playing conditions for the ongoing Pakistan Super League season, which got underway on Thursday with Lahore Qalandars taking on Hyderabad Kingsmen. In a notable change, teams are now allowed to submit two separate team sheets before the toss. Once the toss is completed, the captain can pick the final XI depending on the match situation.
The move is aimed at reducing the impact of external factors such as dew, which often plays a major role in night games and can tilt the contest in favour of the side batting second, making conditions tougher for the bowlers. The PCB hopes this adjustment will help maintain a fairer balance between both teams across conditions.
“Before the toss, each captain may submit two (2) different XI lineups in writing to the HBL PSL Match Referee. Each lineup must include 11 players and a maximum of four (4) substitute fielders (subject to Clause 1.2.5). After the toss, each captain must finalise one of the two submitted lineups by signing the selected team sheet. Once the final lineup has been nominated, no player listed in the selected playing eleven may be changed before the start of the match without the consent of the opposing captain. It is also to be noted that no player shall be changed after the Call of Play except for concussion replacement,” PCB released in a statement.
Sometime back, the PCB also introduced a rule for domestic first-class matches, doing away with the toss and allowing the visiting captain to decide whether to bat or bowl first.
PSL under closed doors
The PCB said on Sunday that because of the conflict in the region and the austerity and revenue-saving measures announced by the government, the PSL matches would be held without spectators.
The Board also cancelled the opening ceremony and restricted the event to just two venues – Lahore and Karachi. Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars started the tournament with a thumping 69-run win over Hyderabad Kingsmen in the opener, where Fakhar Zaman was named Player of the match for his 53-run knock.
