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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani on Thursday, 7 March, said that the BCCI has rejected its invitation to attend the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final to be held in Karachi on March 17.
PCB chairman Mani said they had sent invitations to the ICC and all its affiliated boards to attend the PSL summit clash but the world body's chairman Shashank Manohar, who is an Indian, and BCCI acting-president C K Khanna had cited personal engagements for their unavailability.
Mani, however, said ICC chief executive Dave Richardson will be in Karachi to watch the game.
Mani said invitations were sent out to senior officials of India, England, Ireland, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka cricket boards before relations between India and Pakistan had deteriorated after the ghastly Pulwama terror attack.
Asked if Prime Minister Imran Khan would attend the PSL final, Mani refused to confirm.
A PCB official said that invitations to the ICC Chairman, CEO and heads of its affiliated boards were sent out before relations between India snd Pakistan had deteriorated in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.
Eight PSL matches, including the final, is slated to be held at the National Stadium in Karachi under tight security with soldiers from the paramilitary Rangers, Frontier Corps and the Sindh Police being deputed to avert any eventuality.
Initially, the PCB had scheduled three matches in Lahore and five including the final in Karachi but due to the closure of Lahore airspace in the aftermath of the border tensions with India, all the eight games have now been shifted to Karachi.
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