KCCA conspicuous by its absence as Karachi hosts PSL final

KARACHI: The PSL final in Karachi on March 25 will be the first time in country’s cricket history that a big cricket match is being organised without the involvement of Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA).

A local cricket organiser said that he did not remember if any important match was ever played in Karachi without KCCA, which used to be in the loop from distribution to the tickets to making the arrangements.

The KCCA’s last elected body completed its three-year tenure last year and election was due, but the PCB delayed the election citing various things.

A source said that a PCB official wanted to control the regional cricket associations and so had played tricks to get the elections delayed. Interestingly, the interim committee which the PCB appointed has created serious differences with PCB high officials. When PCB suspended it, it went into litigation against the board.

Meanwhile, the preparations for PSL final at National Stadium are in the final stages. The surroundings of the stadium will remain closed from March 24.

The spectators will have to go through a four-hour-long, three-tier security clearance procedure to enter the stadium. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the security measures the fans will go through before reaching the stadium.

Parking: Ticket holders will park their vehicles at designated car parking areas, where there will be six marshalling areas. At the car park, they will undergo the first physical search, and their tickets will be verified by the PCB staff.

They must have their CNIC.

The designated parking areas include Federal Urdu University ground, the ground beside Hakeem Saeed Park, the Sunday Bazaar ground adjacent to Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Gharib Nawaz Football Ground near Millennium Mall, 

China Ground at Kashmir Road, and KMC Sports Complex.

Spectators have to carry their tickets with them to the car parking areas, as they will not be permitted to park without tickets.A shuttle service will pick the spectators and drop them off at one of the three designated drop zones: Expo Centre, one opposite Bahria University, and a third opposite Aga Khan Hospital.

There will be another physical search at the drop zone.The spectators will then walk to the stadium gates (a distance of 200-300 metres). Senior citizens and differently-abled spectators will be transported from the drop zones to the gates via buses.

Spectators will undergo a third physical search at the stadium gates. They will then be guided to their seats by the PCB staff.Shuttle service begins, and stadium gates open, at 12 noon. The stadium gates close at 5pm. The opening ceremony will take place around 6pm.

The match starts around 7pm. After the match, the spectators will be transported back to the marshalling area via the shuttle service.

The spectators while returning should use the same shuttle service by which they came.The spectators are allowed to carry their cellphones but no other gadgets. They cannot carry any food item. PCB-approved vendors will set up food stalls within the car parking areas. Routes leading to and from Hassan Square and New Town Police Station will be closed for traffic on March 25. However, the roads leading to private hospitals at the Stadium Road will remain open. Shahrah-e-Faisal and Shahrah-i-Quaideen will also remain functional throughout.