The 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been thrown into serious uncertainty after an armed anti-Pakistan group issued a stark and chilling warning to overseas players, cautioning them against travelling to the country ahead of the tournament starting March 26.
The development comes even as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to stage the tournament behind closed doors across just two cities, Karachi and Lahore, citing the ongoing West Asia conflict and rising fuel costs.
The group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has threatened foreign players, claiming they could face grave security risks if they travel to Pakistan for the league.
“We want to advise the relevant cricket boards not to send their players to Pakistan. If something happens to them, it will not be our responsibility. We have already issued our warning,” a commander of the group was quoted as saying, as per The Sunday Guardian.
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Armed opposition groups in Pakistan have issued a statement urging all foreign players participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket matches to avoid traveling to Pakistan, stating that their security is not guaranteed and there is a risk of harm.
The… pic.twitter.com/caf7Tim1ep— Islamabad Post (@ISBPost) March 23, 2026
The PSL is set to feature several prominent overseas cricketers, including Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, among others, though reports suggest a number of players have already withdrawn in the lead-up to the tournament.
The rhetoric escalated further with an explicit threat to disrupt the tournament if the warning is ignored.
“We will do whatever is in our capacity, but we will not let the matches happen. We will do our best to ensure that the tournament is disrupted and the players do not take to the field,” the commander said, according to the report.
While maintaining that it is not opposed to cricket as a sport, the group claimed that the prevailing security situation in Pakistan makes it unsafe for a high-profile event involving international players.
Tournament organisers and relevant authorities are yet to respond officially to the development. With the PSL scheduled to go ahead as planned, questions now loom large over player participation and the smooth conduct of the tournament.