After a promising final of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore last season, PCB is set to take it to another level in the next edition of PSL. The Leagues Chairman Najam Sethi hopes to host as many as eight matches in the country which he thinks would help bring back international cricket to Pakistan
“This time around we are going to hold eight matches in Pakistan,” Sethi commented while talking to media “Two double-headers will take place in Karachi and two double-headers will take place in Lahore.”
Sethi had made the hosting of the PSL final earlier this year in Lahore his utmost priority this season. The uncertainty over whether that would materialize carried through right to the end. Eventually, the final was held at the Gaddafi stadium amid presidential-style security, and went off without incident. Even so, the entire foreign contingent of one of the finalists – Quetta Gladiators – refused to come to Pakistan, and had to be replaced last minute by players who had originally not been part of the competition.
Sethi said that the same wouldn’t happen again. “All players featuring in the third edition of the PSL will be obliged to play in Pakistan,” he said. “It will be part of their contract that they will be playing here.”
Overseas players will receive 50% more than their usual fee for playing in Pakistan as an added incentive, or a 100% increase if they are icon players. However, he said that Pakistan players could enjoy the same benefit due to budget constraints.
Security concerns have meant that the final was the only PSL game – in its two-season history – to be held in Pakistan, with the rest of the matches played in the UAE, where Pakistan plays their “home” international fixtures. The country has not played host to any international cricket against Full Members since the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by terrorists in 2009, with the exception of one tour by Zimbabwe, who played two T20s and three ODIs under a stringent security blanket.
Sethi also said that arrangements to induct a sixth franchise were also on track, and as many as 30 national and international parties had expressed an interest in buying the sixth franchise.
