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The Pakistan Super League, for the longest time, has been viewed as Pakistan’s answer to the Indian Premier League. However, their success hasn’t been a great deal compared to their Indian counterpart. Especially with several seasons played in the UAE, the league lost a lot of money.
The previous season which happened this year, was the first edition completedly played in Pakistan. For the first time, there were utterly jam-packed stadiums, something which wasn’t happening with the league in the UAE.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has actually come out and stated that the league had lost a lot of money in the past few years. He also predicted that the tournament might not be held in the next 16 to 18 months. Earlier this year, the PSL had to be canceled mid-way Ahead of the knockout stages, the league moved to ”behind the closed doors” due to the outbreak of COVID-19
“I know some people wouldn’t like to hear this, but some owners are looking to sell their franchises. I would be more than happy to provide financial and non-monetary support to keep the PSL alive and to thrive. I think if we do the math, the PSL can’t be held before 16 to 18 months. The World Cup will also take probably after eight months because time is needed for the Coronavirus issue to settle down,” Akhtar said while speaking on a television show.
There have been rumors that the Pakistan Cricket Board is preparing to host the knockouts of the league in the month of September. The former pacer considered this possibility an unlikely thing. Formerly, Akhtar had exposed that he is interested in buying a PSL team.
“The thing is if there is no proper cricket until say September, how can the PSL be held in four months? I don’t think the board can ask for money from the franchisees in this situation. As far as I know, some franchises are already ready to sell their brand. They have offers,” Akhtar claimed. “I will make sure that the PSL thrives and stays alive, and it gets big brands to make progress,” he added.
