LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board usually hosts the Pakistan Super League (PSL) between January and March every year. However, organizing the tenth edition of the PSL in 2025 poses significant challenges at this time.
In February, plans were announced for a Triangular One-Day series involving New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy in February and March 2025. Therefore, franchisees expressed concern about finding a suitable window for the competition.
The franchise owners proposed to start the league at the end of January 2025 in February, but the board officials did not agree. They said that holding the triangular series after 20 years is an important opportunity for Pakistan and should not be missed. The more complicated South African league (SA20) also starts in January. In the past, South Africa has shown their preference for T20 leagues over international series, opting to send a more experienced team to New Zealand for the duration of the league. As a result, there is concern that they may form a weak group for the top three.
PCB aims to hold PSL along with IPL in April after the conclusion of the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, the franchise is worried about the problem with the participation of quality foreign players and the competition in the Indian league. Famous players may opt for IPL due to higher compensation, which may affect the quality and viewership of PSL, especially among foreign viewers.
There was a proposal to host PSL 10 in September 2024, but this was quickly scrapped due to scheduling conflicts with England’s tour of Pakistan in October and Pakistan’s tour of Australia in November 2024.
The tenth edition of the PSL marks the end of the current contract and pending discussions to increase the number of teams and extend contracts with existing franchises. The success of the 10th edition is very important to maintain the brand value of PSL.
The franchise owners have approached the PCB to discuss the issue but are yet to receive a response. Although the idea of splitting PSL into a separate company was the only meeting that was mentioned, further development was hampered by scheduling conflicts and layoffs. However, it is hoped that a meeting will be held soon to address these important issues.
