The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has banned surrogate advertising, which means that teams will not be allowed to advertise products or services that are similar to the league’s sponsors’ products or services.
According to the details, surrogate advertising in Pakistani cricket emerged a few years ago when foreign companies sought to establish their presence by rebranding.
The board will inform the government’s decision during the Lahore Governing Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
The agenda will also encompass discussions on the venue and ultimate dates for next year’s event. Although the media extensively covered the news, no official notices were issued by the authorities.
During PSL 8, a significant number of franchise sponsors were surrogate companies. The matter gained traction when Mohammad Rizwan, the captain of Multan Sultans, deliberately obscured the logos of his sponsors during a match, leading to an escalation of the issue.
The government has recently enforced a comprehensive prohibition on surrogate advertising. Following the issuance of the notification, the spokesperson for the PCB mentioned that they have received guidance but no explicit directives, indicating the need for further deliberation on the matter.
Subsequently, a subsequent government notification emphasizing zero tolerance has provided clarification on the situation.
The upcoming PSL Governing Council meeting scheduled in Lahore on Tuesday will address the issue of surrogate advertising.
Moreover, franchise teams will be instructed to refrain from such practices per government directives, and a copy of the government notification has been circulated already.
Certain franchises have already eliminated substitute company logos from their social media posts.
The suggested dates for PSL range from February 8 to March 24, and some franchises, along with board officials, advocate for hosting the event in the UAE, citing the general elections on February 8. The Tuesday meeting will also address the date for player drafts and discuss media rights.
Follow ProPakistani on Google News & scroll through your favourite content faster!
Support independent journalism
If you want to join us in our mission to share independent, global journalism to the world, we’d love to have you on our side. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
