Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi says the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will become the best league in the world very soon.
The PSL is taking place at the same time as the Indian Premier League this season. Still, Naqvi is happy with the progress of the league. He says the PSL is growing fast. He also feels it is now a strong place for investors. The league is getting more popular day by day.
The PCB says this year’s PSL auction got a strong response. Naqvi believes this shows trust in the future of Pakistan cricket.
But the gap with the IPL is still big. The IPL earns much more money. Its media rights are worth over 6 billion dollars. The PSL’s media rights are close to 93 million dollars. The IPL makes more than 1 billion dollars each year. The PSL earns around 50 to 60 million dollars.
This season, the PSL is facing some problems. There is an energy crisis in Pakistan. So matches are being played in empty stadiums at only two venues. On the other hand, the IPL is being played in many stadiums with full crowds.
There are also some issues outside the field. Fakhar Zaman got a two match ban for ball tampering. Lahore Qalandars were also given a five run penalty. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sikandar Raza were accused of bringing an unauthorised person to the team hotel. Naseem Shah was fined 20 million Pakistani rupees for a social media post where he criticised Maryam Nawaz.
Speaking at a PCB Board of Governors meeting, Naqvi said, “PSL is now one of the best markets for investment. Very soon, this league will become the number one league in the world.”
