While the board is going all-out in staging the event in March next year, the schedule of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League is hampering PCB’s plans, according to an official close to the matter.
Earlier, the PCB announced to organise the league in October 2012 but delayed the plan to March due to a number of reasons. According to the official, the PCB’s senior management held various meetings in the board’s headquarters last week with chairman Zaka Ashraf keen to start the league, which he believes will help in reviving international cricket in Pakistan.
However, next year’s IPL, which is expected to be played between April 4 to May 26, may push the Pakistan’s Twenty20 competition further.
The PCB is planning to hold the event from March 15, stretching to about 15 to 18 days after Pakistan’s tour of South Africa.
“It’s a tricky situation for the PCB,” the official told The Express Tribune. “The schedule of the two leagues is very close together and that may affect our plans in many ways including the availability of prominent players and broadcasting issues to name a few.
“We might have to push the PPL further but right now we are focusing on staging it in March.”
‘PCB has hired consultants’
In the meantime, due to the slow progress of the international cricket department, headed by former captain Intikhab Alam, in organising the event, the PCB has hired consultants to make the league a possibility, added the official.
Badar Rafae, a key figure in promoting cricket in the US, and Salman Sarwar Butt, known as a pioneer of PCB’s Super Eight Twenty20 event, will work for the PPL.
While the PCB did not confirm hiring the consultants, the official said both have signed contracts with the board recently.
“Both are members of the committee who will report to the PCB chairman regarding the PPL. The committee is headed by [PCB director general] Javed Miandad.
“They were chosen due to their vast experience in organising tournaments and their relations with franchises and foreign players.”
Meanwhile, the PCB will prefer holding the first edition simultaneously in Karachi and Lahore with five teams representing the provinces tipped to take part.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2012.
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That will be the perfect time to have PPL just before or in parallel to IPL. Pakistan have nothing to lose. Foreign players especially the main players are not going to come to Pakistan anyway. Every other player except ours' would be busy in IPL that means all of pakistan players will be available. I say organize it right after SA tour and provide the 20/20 dose to public right before IPL. We need to at least take away Pakistani audience(read customers) from IPL, even if we take a little slice from their market and keep doing a good job in organizing then it will eventually bring the international players and IPL to the table.
The other important thing is to define a good objective in organizing the PPL. And that should be to promote the PPL in itself not as a vehicle to bring bi-lateral international (meaning less) tours. They will be obsolete pretty soon. Pakistan should work towards self sufficiency, they have the talent, experience and infrastructure to achieve it. Rest will come automatically....
The two main issues on the mind of PCB, foreign players refrain from flying to Pakistan, second if IPL and PPL events are held at the same time, almost all the major sponsors will back IPL and and PPL will stand to lose revenue from broadcasting rights which it badly needs and PPL knows real well they just cannot stand against the might of IPL.
Why is this an issue? I hate to be cynical but i still think alot of players will have reservations about coming to pakistan, especially the english/SA/aussie/NZ teams. The first edition should basically try and pave the way for better future editions and should show the world that Pakistan is capable of hosting a big event securely. This could mean many star crickets missing out this time around