England pacer Tom Curran and Bangladeshi leg-spinner Rishad Hossain were both part of the Lahore Qalandars squad in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). However, due to the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan, the tournament was abruptly postponed, prompting players to return home. Rishad Hossain flew back to Bangladesh via Dubai on May 10, while Tom Curran also left for England. The situation caused significant concern among players, with tensions high and uncertainty affecting the squad's mental well-being.

During a brief media interaction at Dubai Airport, Rishad Hossain opened up about the anxiety within the Lahore Qalandars camp amid the political crisis. He mentioned how the India-Pakistan conflict instilled fear among players, including international stars. Rishad went on to make surprising revelations about teammate Tom Curran, highlighting the unease and panic that gripped the team during their stay in Pakistan. His comments offered a glimpse into the emotional toll the situation had on foreign players, many of whom were caught off guard by the sudden escalation and abrupt disruption to the tournament.

 "When Tom Curran arrived at the airport and heard that the flights were suspended, he started crying like a child. Two or three people had to handle him," Rishad said in an interview.

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Curran finally reveals what happened

After staying silent for a long time, Curran has finally responded to Rishad’s comments. The England pacer, who won the ODI World Cup, has completely denied what his Lahore teammate said. India and Pakistan have already declared a ceasefire with the help of US President Donald Trump. The PSL started again on 17th May. Rishad will not play the rest of the tournament as he is now in the Bangladesh squad for their tour of the United Arab Emirates. But Curran has returned to Pakistan.

Yesterday, Curran took a photo with two members of Pakistan’s Border Guard Rangers. He posted it on his Instagram story and wrote, "I am happy to see the game (PSL) starting again. I pray for peace between the two special countries. But I swear, I did not cry. I was ready to play."

Rishad has also apologized for his comments. On the night of May 11, he wrote on social media, "The comments I made in a short interview with Bangladeshi journalists at Dubai airport did not fully explain the situation. I also said things emotionally. I am truly sorry for the misunderstanding. I have given an unconditional apology to Tom Curran."

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 is hanging in the balance, with foreign players not wanting to return in the wake of heightened India-Pakistan tensions. The tournament was put on hold on May 9, 2025, after a drone attack outside Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium created mass hysteria, prompting the PCB to delay matches indefinitely. With the IPL also suspended owing to Operation Sindoor—a counterattack in response to border incursions—subcontinent cricket is in shambles.

Foreign players, crucial to the PSL's international popularity, are taking safety precautions first, leaving the PCB in a state of panic. There were reports of players such as Australia's David Warner and New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell swearing never to come back to Pakistan, while England's Tom Curran was visibly shaken throughout the incident. South Africa's Andries Gous, who was scheduled to make his debut for Islamabad United, also withdrew, citing the volatile atmosphere. The PCB had first thought about relocating matches to Karachi, but as things deteriorated, the idea fell apart, further worsening the crisis.

The PCB is keen to save the season, particularly with playoff places at stake—Lahore Qalandars (9 points) and Peshawar Zalmi (8 points) were in the running before the suspension. An attempt to relocate to the UAE fell through, as the Emirates Cricket Board distanced itself to avoid straining ties with the BCCI, who’ve hosted IPL editions there. With no clear venue and fading player confidence, the PSL’s future looks bleak, leaving fans like me wondering if we’ll see any more action this year.

Can the PSL Bounce Back?

The PCB has a daunting task ahead: getting overseas players back on the field while keeping them safe. There are negotiations to postpone matches in a neutral country, potentially Sri Lanka, but there is no clear timeline yet. Cricket was already disrupted, as two Pakistan domestic tournaments were postponed, and the PCB has to move quickly to regain people's trust or face postponing the entire season, a huge loss for fans and players.

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With global stars absent, the PSL loses its glamour, and that is well-known to the board. Global stars are the measure of a league's strength as well as watchability, and with today's environment, even that does not appear so real anymore. Hope the PCB somehow manages to deliver cricket once more in safety—fingers crossed for it all to resolve ASAP!

The 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) turned into a nightmare for foreign players when a missile struck an airport 20 minutes after they were about to fly out of Pakistan. Bangladeshi cricketer Rishad landed safely in Dubai and expressed great relief to media persons, who termed the experience as "petrifying." "Alhamdulillah, we landed in Dubai despite a crisis," he added, remembering his team's dread at hearing the news of the attack after the touchdown. Against a backdrop of heightened tensions and bombings in Pakistan, the attack left players and families in shock. Rishad's parents, always concerned for his safety, were especially traumatized by the unstable environment, with news of the attack being received by them as both "frightening and tragic."

Foreign players such as Sam Billings, Daryl Mitchell, Kushal Perera, David Wiese, and Tom Curran were also deeply shaken. Mitchell, according to Rishad, promised never to visit Pakistan again under such conditions, and others were also equally outraged. Nahid Rana was visibly shocked and couldn't say a word during the crisis. "I kept saying to him, relax," said Rishad, underlining the relief of having arrived at Dubai. The episode has raised grave questions about the PSL's capacity to hold on to overseas talent, with the fear of narrowly avoiding harm hanging over it, threatening to tarnish the league's global image.

Tom Curran's Emotional Breakdown

England's Tom Curran had a particularly traumatic experience. Rishad spoke of how Curran had heard the airport was closed after the missile strike and broke down in tears. "He was crying like a kid," Rishad said, as teammates moved to comfort him. The psychological impact of this close brush with disaster has left a lasting scar, potentially deterring overseas players from future PSL involvement.

SHOCKING EXPERIENCE FOR OVERSEAS PLAYERS IN PSL. 🤯 [Cricbuzz] pic.twitter.com/GVhhXJARxp

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 10, 2025

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The incident highlights the broader challenges of hosting global sporting events in regions with geopolitical volatility. The psychological impact on players and added uncertainty about logistics create an extraordinary cognitive burden for organizers of the PSL to manage the safety and security dimensions. The ability to reassure international stars about their safety is critical. Otherwise, the league may lose its attractiveness, as players will likely opt for their own safety over participating in a potentially dangerous environment.

Nicholas Pooran's Sportsmanship Shines as Tom Curran Gets a Second Chance

The game between MI Emirates and the Gulf Giants was exciting on January 25. Nicholas Pooran, who plays for the MI Emirates. Pooran said, I apologize for thinking Tom Curran was out and pooran called him back. This made a large number of fans clap for Nicholas because he was very fair.

It all happened at the end of the game when the Gulf Giants needed to score runs at the end. Tom went out a little but didn't know Nicholas still had the ball. Nicholas thought Tom was out , and the umpire even said so after looking at it again. However, Andy Flower, coach of Gulf Giants, got mad about it. Nicholas realized it wasn't fair, so he changed his mind, which got him a lot of applause.

Captain Pooran appeals ➡️ Run-out given ➡️ Coach Flower not happy ➡️ Tom Curran walks out ➡️Tom Curran walks back!

📹@ILT20Official | #ILT20 pic.twitter.com/3CMJ1WjeTt

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 25, 2025

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Nicholas said after the game that, by the rules, Tom was out, but he has a simple belief that being kind and honest is very important too. The game was really close, and everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats. The Gulf Giants had to get 17 runs, got pretty intense. Fazalhaq made it hard for the Gulf Giants. Aayan sent the ball a long Six after that. It was so fantastic, and the groups were jumping and screaming with wild excitement because the game was now not very hard for the Gulf Giants. It was somewhat like having a counterbalanced response since Nicholas was being good and fair earlier. But then, the Gulf Giants got some luck too, when they really needed to catch up on runs since the game was almost done.

Tom Curran had a turn to strike the ball, and even though things were tense, he put in a lot of effort to hit th ball. Curran scored 16 runs before and then Mousley got him out. Then Muhammad Zuhaib stayed calm and struck the ball to become the winning hit on the last ball, Because of what he did, the Gulf Giants won the game by just two wickets. Nicholas Pooran asked Tom Curran to play again, even though it was a very big problem. Even though the MI Emirates didn't win, Pooran's choice made people like him a lot. It showed everyone watching that being nice and fair in sports is vitally important.