Bangladesh legspinner Rishad Hossain described a harrowing few days in Pakistan before the abrupt suspension of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 due to rising border tensions with India.
“Alhamdulillah, we have reached Dubai after overcoming a crisis and I am feeling well now,” Rishad said at Dubai Airport on Saturday, as per Cricbuzz. “After landing in Dubai, we heard that a missile struck the airport 20 minutes after we took off. The news was scary as well as sorrowful,” he revealed. “My family spent sleepless nights. They were worried about the bomb blasts and missile strikes. I had to constantly assure them I was safe.”
Fear among overseas players at PSL 2025
Rishad, who represented Lahore Qalandars, said fellow Bangladeshi Nahid Rana of Peshawar Zalmi was visibly shaken. “Nahid was very quiet. I kept telling him not to be tense. Alhamdulillah, we reached Dubai safely.”
Foreign players across franchises shared similar distress. “Sam Billings, Daryl Mitchell, Kushal Perera, David Wiese, Tom Curran… all of them were so frightened. Mitchell told me he would never return to Pakistan in such a scenario.”
Rishad shared one particularly emotional moment: “Tom Curran went to the airport, only to find it closed. He started crying like a little child. It took two or three people to handle him.”
Initially, the PCB hoped to resume matches in Karachi. But a meeting between players and Chairman Mohsin Naqvi changed the course. “They tried to hide two drone attacks from us,” Rishad said. “Eventually, everyone agreed Dubai was the safest. Credit to the PCB for helping us leave safely.”
