Cricket has come home, again. As the 22^nd and 23^rd matches of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket tournament, now in its 5^th edition, are played on Sunday (today) at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, the city seems to have adjusted to the issues earlier faced around such mega events that involved international sports celebrities.

With some routine diversions worked out, the traffic managers have had it going pretty smoothly this time over. And, the commuter isn’t complaining.

Interestingly, while the marketplaces and commercial businesses near Gaddafi have been instructed to close early, the strength of security cops is said to have been reduced. Which, if it’s true, is a positive sign.

The enthusiasm of the sport lovers hasn’t diminished, despite Lahore Qalandars putting up a poor show, which is evident from the way the stadium was packed to capacity on all the days the matches were played in Lahore. As the Qalandars take on Karachi Kings tonight, and Islamabad United fight Multan Sultans who have so far scored the most points in the Twenty20 tournament, things are expected to hot up. What’s more, some of our most brilliant cricketing stars like Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik are back in form, and the spectators can’t stop rejoicing. In the end, it doesn’t matter which team they are representing.

On the other hand, in order to meet with any health emergencies, a 20-bed temporary hospital has been set up on the ground floor of the National Hockey Stadium, adjacent to Gaddafi. The facility is managed by a paramedic team from Lahore General Hospital.

There have been a few snags too. For instance, the people going to Gaddafi have commonly complained of the shuttle service being less efficient (than at the time of Sri Lankan cricket team’s tour).

The “PSL season,” as it is dubbed, ends with the final match on March 22. It will be interesting to see if Quetta Gladiators, the current champions, can defend their title. Matches have also been played in Multan, Rawalpindi and Karachi.