Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen has offered a candid take on the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) standing in the franchise cricket world, admitting that the league lags behind the Indian Premier League (IPL)—and that Pakistan cricket should stop trying to compete.
Speaking during a recent podcast with ProSports, Ali Tareen acknowledged that the overlapping schedules of the two leagues are not ideal for the PSL, but the ever-increasing leagues across the globe may be a bigger issue for Pakistan’s premier cricket tournament.
“Not ideal,” Tareen simply stated when asked about the IPL and PSL taking place at the same time this year due to the Champions Trophy.
“Given the alternatives, it is the best solution we could come up with. Because the issue is not that we are competing with the IPL. The issue is, we could not compete with the other leagues. When we were playing in the winter, there was ILT20, SA20, the Big Bash, and BPL, and no player was willing to skip all that to come to us.”
Ali Tareen, however, was understanding of the players’ perspective. “(It was) because of the money, because they want to have good relations with the other leagues as well, lifestyle, and so many reasons. And people are not going to skip all that to play PSL, and that is why I say the PSL is no longer the second biggest league in the world. If we were, players would prefer to come here instead of SA20 or BPL,” he added.
The Multan Sultans owner also hinted that the strategy to move the PSL window was deliberate. “Instead of competing with these leagues, let’s just compete with one league and get all the other players. There is no alternative,” he concluded.
Ali Tareen’s comments reflect what many insiders have long known but rarely say publicly. While the PSL once reaped the rewards of being a tier below the IPL, the myriad of franchise opportunities popping up has challenged that belief, and some creative solutions are now needed to restore the PSL’s standing.
Whether we will see the PSL and IPL go head-to-head every year from now on remains to be seen, but the PCB may have to stick to making lemonade from the cricketing lemons for the time being.
Check out the full podcast:
Prosports.pk brings you the latest updates from the world of PSL! Stay updated with the latest PSL X points table, PSL X Squads, PSL X Schedule, PSL Live Score & Much more!
