The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has nowhere left to go. Their biggest event, the Pakistan Super League (PSL), is under threat, not from any other event, but from a tournament that they are meant to host, the Champions Trophy 2025. The event is of high importance to the PCB, with it being the first ICC that is being hosted in Pakistan after 29 years.
No PSL at the start of 2025?
The PSL is generally held somewhere between January and March. However, since the emergence of two new leagues, the SA20 and ILT20, the tournament has been pushed to February and March to not risk less viewership and keep the top players coming to the league and not leave it for either of the earlier tournaments or the IPL.
But the leagues aren’t the only competition the PSL is facing. In January 2025, the Pakistan cricket team will conclude their tour of South Africa and then head to New Zealand for a limited-overs tour. Then, in February, they’ll play a triangular ODI series involving New Zealand and South Africa. Once that ends, the Champions Trophy 2025 will commence.
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No agreement between PCB and PSL franchises
According to Cricket Pakistan, the franchise owners proposed the idea of hosting the league from late January 2025 to February, but due to a triangular series being scheduled to be played in Pakistan after 20 years, the request was denied. The owners reached out to the PCB for a discussion but have not received any response yet.
PSL to challenge the IPL?
Instead of changing the schedule, the PCB is aiming to host the PSL 2025 season after the Champions Trophy 2025 concludes. This means that their biggest earner will go against the world’s biggest league, the IPL. However, the PSL franchises aren’t too pleased with the decision.
Over the past few seasons, many foreign players have decided to skip the PSL, and the franchises are fearing that even more players will pull out of the event if it looks to challenge the IPL. They fear that it’ll affect the viewership worldwide and compromise the overall quality of the league.
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