By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top cricket league, the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), is pushing forward despite a sharp escalation in military tensions with India, marked by missile strikes and downed fighter jets, with a high-stakes match set for tonight in Rawalpindi.
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed Islamabad United will take on Quetta Gladiators at 8 p.m. local time at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It’s the first of four straight games there through May 10.
“HBL Pakistan Super League X will continue as planned with Islamabad United set to take on Quetta Gladiators later today at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium,” the PCB said in a statement.
The match kicks off four consecutive fixtures in Rawalpindi from May 7 to 10, with the league’s final group match slated for Multan on May 11, the Eliminator back in Rawalpindi on May 13, and the playoffs and championship final set for May 14, 16, and 18 at Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium.
The decision stands firm amid a military flare-up with India. Early Wednesday, the military reported that Indian missile strikes had killed at least 26 civilians and wounded 46 others across six locations in Pakistani territory, including cities in Punjab and Azad Kashmir.
India’s defense ministry countered that the strikes, dubbed “Operation Sindoor,” targeted “militant infrastructure” tied to a recent deadly attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir—an assault New Delhi attributes to Pakistan. Islamabad has firmly rejected the accusation.
In a swift retaliation, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the country’s armed forces had shot down five Indian Air Force jets, destroyed a combat drone, and leveled an Indian brigade headquarters.
Flights Disrupted
The military flare-up briefly disrupted daily life, with flight operations suspended at major airports like Lahore and Karachi overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.
After an eight-hour halt, services began to normalise. Aviation officials said Karachi’s airport saw two international flights and one domestic flight operate today, while Lahore’s first flight to Karachi, PA-401, run by a private carrier, took off as scheduled. Internationally, flight PK-607 from Karachi to Dubai departed ahead of time, though TK-709 to Istanbul faced delays.
A Jeddah-to-Lahore flight, PK-842, rerouted to Karachi amid the tensions, reached its intended destination this morning. Yet, despite the broader resumption, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has halted its regular operations for 12 hours, citing ongoing security concerns.
The PSL, in its 10th season, has been a lifeline for international cricket in Pakistan. The league, which draws several foreign players, has been instrumental in reviving international cricket on Pakistani soil after a decade-long hiatus triggered by the 2009 militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.
Since returning fully to home venues in 2020, the PSL has bolstered Pakistan’s image as a secure hub for global cricket, a reputation now tested by the current crisis.
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