The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team owners in the Pakistan Super League haven’t agreed on when to hold next year’s T20 tournament. If they choose the suggested April-May time, it will overlap with the IPL.
The next PSL can’t happen during its usual February-March period because of the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and other international cricket events happening in the country.
The team owners are also waiting to get their share of the money from the last PSL’s earnings. Some matches had low attendance, which caused worry.
“Having the PSL at the same time as the IPL is very risky. The main problem could be getting top players to participate, and also getting people to watch the PSL matches on TV and online,” said an official from one of the teams.
He mentioned that the PCB talked about possibly holding the PSL in April-May 2025, but the team owners are still concerned about it overlapping with the IPL, which attracts the world’s best players.
He mentioned that the PCB informed the team owners they might be allowed to directly talk to foreign players before the IPL auction, so they can secure commitments for the league.
“We’ve been told we can at least start talks with 1-2 top players. But this isn’t set in stone yet.”
The PSL has been the PCB’s main income since it began, as it was held during a good time. But starting in 2023, things changed.
“For the first time in 2023, the PSL wasn’t the PCB’s biggest money maker; international cricket was,” said another team official.
He explained that in 2023, the PCB made 3.35 billion from the PSL, while international cricket brought in 5.5 billion.
