Never Going Back: Daryl Mitchell’s Bold Stance and the PSL Crisis No One Saw Coming

The Pakistan Super League 2025 has been suspended indefinitely, not just due to weather or scheduling issues, but because of geopolitical tensions and player safety concerns. Stirring the pot further, Daryl Mitchell has dropped a bombshell—declaring he won’t be setting foot in Pakistan again. The situation off-stage has become just as intriguing as the on-field action, with hearsay from Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain sparking more headlines than the actual T20 finale.

Fear in the Foreign Camp

Daryl Mitchell, who possesses a cool head and specializes in gritty knocks, is not a man who throws around strong words. Thus, it was pretty telling when another PSL player, Rishad Hossain, said that Mitchell had told him, “he will never come to Pakistan again, especially in this situation.”

Rishad says that a few more overseas players – Sam Billings, Kusal Perera, David Wiese, Tom Curran, and Mitchell – were fearful, but why wouldn’t they be? With the political state of play between India and Pakistan ramping up, navigating towards a border area that could easily go into riot mode, it does not seem like the best idea to play cricket.

Why the UAE Turned Down the PSL 2025

You would think moving the PSL to a neutral venue such as the UAE (which has successfully hosted editions of the PSL in the past) would be a simple solution. But nope, not this time.

Reports indicate that India’s cricketing authority firmly paved the way for the UAE to scrap its hosting obligations for PSL 2025. Apparently, Jay Shah, BCCI secretary and ICC chairman, approached the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) in quiet fashion. In other words, the ECB had to make the best decision when it came to those “quiet words.”

ECB’s loyalty to “Jay Bhai” allowed them to avoid hosting PSL 2025, marking another political move in cricket’s power game. PCB’s backup plans crumbled when ECB hiked stadium rental fees, leaving the PCB unable to change venues. While PSL didn’t lose a venue, it faced its only real loss—financially.

PSL’s Reputation Takes a Hit—Can It Bounce Back?

PSL has always aspired to be at the level of the IPL and BBL. The crazy PSL final that goes down this season will have consequences for PSL the brand. This is not trivial, but trust. When a player like Daryl Mitchell says you won’t go back to Pakistan, that is a significant comment and has some cache in the cricketing world. You can guarantee that it is not going to be right away that players want to go back to Pakistan; not that the political environment may improve, the stigma of it being safe, and the unknown of being in Pakistan will remain for some time to come.

This is a precaution for the PSL, much like in ways other than just one season, sponsorships, players wanting to play in the league, international television rights, and the whole idea of returning in years too. Fans may still love the sport, but they want to have assurance that their players are safe and their leagues aren’t a bad decision away from disappearing from the sporting calendars.

The question is, will the PSL be able to come back stronger even from this mess, or did this controversy, forever, change the game? Let us know in the comments what you think; should the foreign players have been louder in their safety concerns, or is this just another unfortunate moment in a terrible political minefield in cricket?

angelo

See Full Bio