PCB planning to stage PSL in 2016, claims Sethi

T20 league will most likely take place in the UAE, says former PCB chairman.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking a window early next year to stage the much-awaited Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 event.

Despite efforts going back many years, the PSL is yet to materialise and recently, former PCB chairmen Zaka Ashraf and Najam Sethi had to scrap the idea due to various reasons.

“We’re looking at the window of January-February 2016 for the PSL’s launch,” Sethi, who is the executive committee chairman and a governing board member, told media at Karachi’s National Stadium.

“We would have around 25 days next year to go ahead with the tournament. We wanted the PSL to take place in Pakistan, but players are not ready to come here, so it will most likely be staged in the UAE.”

The official revealed that the players are demanding around $100,000 to come and play in Pakistan due to security concerns, hence the project would be much more viable in the UAE, where Pakistan have been playing their home series for the last five years.

Ashraf, Sethi’s predecessor, had even hired former International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Haroon Lorgat as a consultant for the league and had formed a separate secretariat for the tournament, but all the money went down the drain.

Asked about the ongoing tiff between the PCB and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over the proposed tour of Bangladesh, Sethi said that the board is right to demand half of the revenues from the series, which is scheduled to be played after the World Cup.

“We’re just asking for an equal split of profits from the series, which is fair enough because Bangladesh haven’t fulfilled their commitment to come and play in Pakistan,” he added.

Sethi also hoped that Pakistani players will feature in the Indian Premier League once both Pakistan and India play their bilateral series later this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th,  2015.

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