PSL-9

Inaugurated in February 2016, Pakistan Super League has entered its ninth edition this year. The country’s premier league has grown from strength to strength in every respect – be it the standard of the game; the sporting facilities at the local venues; the level of participation from the players (including the foreign ones), the fans, the franchise owners and the sponsors; the revenues earned; or the festive feel rambling all around. To top it all, the league has been a major contributing factor vis a vis revival of international cricket in Pakistan which was treated as a no-go zone by foreign sports teams after the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

The inaugural edition of the league was played in the UAE, with the following three holding selected matches at Pakistani venues. However, the fifth edition, in 2020, was the first time when the tournament was played in Pakistan completely. The lure of the league had compelled foreign stars to shun safety fears and step foot on the soil they had been avoiding for nearly a decade. The President-level security has been a distinctive feature serving as a source of comfort for the foreign guests, including players and officials.

The growing revenues from the PSL – which speaks of the league’s success – are worth discussing here. While the league’s inaugural season had yielded $2.6 million worth of profit, the eighth one played in 2023 fetched more that Rs5 billion ($17.8 million approximately).

And while these lines were being written, Islamabad United had won the opening game of PSL-9, trouncing Lahore Qalandars, the defending champion, by eight wickets at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Saturday. The competition promises exciting cricket till March 18, with six teams locking horns for the coveted trophy named Orion.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2024.

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