- Pakistan asked UAE not to host any other cricket leagues between October and March, warning it would shift venue if request was not heeded.
- PSL in Pakistan is a viable option as the country’s law and order situation has vastly improved.
KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering hosting the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) within the country. The decision will be made in a meeting between all franchises on June 12, the cricket board announced.
The PCB is considering hosting the full PSL4 series in Pakistan, calling it a better deal given the number of leagues taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year.
In April, after Afghanistan announced that it would host its own super league T20 in the UAE, PCB Chairman Najam Sethi warned the UAE cricket authorities not to host any other leagues between October and March. He further threatened to move Pakistan’s home venue to Malaysia if other countries leagues were allowed to take place between these months.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), however, announced its decision to host their T20 league in the UAE in October with a T10 league following in November. The UAE also decided to host their own star-studded T20 league between December and January, showing that little heed was paid to Sethi’s warning.
One franchise official confirmed to the local daily that they will be backing PCB’s decision to host the full tournament in Pakistan.
“We don’t think there is any point in hosting the PSL in UAE now,” he said. “We are here to do business and this does not seem like a good deal because if the tournament is being organized in the UAE, with so much T20 and T10 cricket around, we will not be getting the best possible sponsorship deals due to the saturation of the market.”
The official added: “Broadcasters will also not be paying us a sufficient amount of money for the tournament and we don’t think people will want to come to the grounds for the matches as well. We genuinely believe having the next edition of PSL in Pakistan is a viable option as the country’s law and order situation has vastly improved.”
Another franchise official was of the view that hosting the PSL in Pakistan would be a hit, regardless of how many high-profile players make it to the tournament.
“Recently we’ve seen great rivalry building up between franchises, which is great news for the competition,” he said. “Once we have the PSL in Pakistan, we can attract hundreds and thousands of followers of each franchise to the ground, which means even if big name players don’t come to the country, it will not hurt the brand’s image in the long run.”