PSL participants threatened with expulsion if Covid-19 rules are broken

The Pakistan Cricket Board, hoping to avoid a third postponement in as many years, have unveiled detailed health and safety protocols for the 2022 tournament set to get underway from January 27

Pakistan Super League players and staff could be thrown out of the tournament if they breach Covid-19 regulations.

The PCB have five levels of punishment available to them, including a warning, and various reductions of match fees or a fine.

Last season, Peshawar Zalmi duo Haider Ali and Umaid Asif were suspended from the final against Multan Sultans after breaking health and safety protocols.

Outbreaks of Covid cases has led to the last two editions of the six-team competition being postponed.

While the 2020 tournament occurred as the pandemic first took hold across the world, last season's competition was beset by breaches of the bio-secure bubble which led to a flurry of positives.

^{Breaches accused across the tournament including at Peshawar Zalmi (Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)}

Wahab Riaz and Daren Sammy left the bio-secure bubble prior to the tournament getting underway and were permitted to re-join their teammates without undergoing a three-day quarantine period.

A PCB investigation then found there had been multiple breaches of the Karachi bubble that eventually led to the suspension of the campaign.

The governing body hope a rigorous testing regime, rules around the player hotel and the venues, management of suspected cases and numerous punishments will ensure the seventh PSL runs smoothly.

Players and staff spent three days in isolation from January 20 and are allowed to join up with the teammates after providing two negative tests.

During the Karachi leg of the tournament (January 27 to February 7), participants will undergo four PCR tests. Seven more will be administered when the teams move to Lahore for the conclusion of the competition (February 10-27).

^{It is hoped crowds could be at 100 per cent when the tournament moves to Lahore (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)}

Crucially, the PCB will enforce a three-day isolation period for those leaving and re-entering the bio-secure environment.

Those testing positive will be forced to quarantine for a minimum of seven days and are only permitted to leave once they return a negative rapid antigen test. That period will be extended by three days if the test on the final day of isolation remains positive.

Close contacts - deemed to have interacted with a positive case for more than 15 minutes at a less than two-meter distance - will also isolate and undergo testing.

The PCB have outlined 10 rules that constitute a minor breach of the regulations, and nine others that will be regarded as a major offence.

Minor incidents include sharing drinks and kits with others, having physiotherapy sessions of longer than a quarter of an hour or meeting anyone from outside the bubble other than those on the field of play.

^{Mohammad Rizwan's Multan Sultans are the defending champions (Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images)}

Among the things considered major violations are not wearing face masks when required to do so, leaving quarantine ahead of schedule or visiting or allowing anyone inside the hotel room.

If the PCB are satisfied that the bio-secure environment has been compromised they may ask any participant to isolate and undergo testing.

While reprimands are available to the authorities, they could also choose to impose a deduction of match fee (between five and 25 per cent, or 25 and 50 per cent) or a maximum fine of £2093.

Match bans were among the punishments the PCB were considering when the tournament resumed in the United Arab Emirates but they are now open to removing players completely from competition for serious or continuous flouting of the rules.

At the time of writing, eight positive cases - three players and five support staff - had been detected inside the PSL bubble.

Currently, the National Stadium in Karachi will be at 25 per cent capacity for the tournament, with fans needing to present a vaccination certificate to enter. Lahore hope The Gadaffi Stadium will be full when the tournament moves cities, but that remains under review.