Qatar to host $1mn Pakistan Super League, says PCB
38
LAHORE: The twice-postponed Pakistan Super League (PSL) will finally be ready for take off in Doha, Qatar, next year, former chairman Najam Sethi announced on Wednesday.
The event is scheduled for February and will feature around 25 foreign players.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had planned a Super Twenty20 league in 2013 but had to postpone it twice -- in 2014 and 2015 -- over a lack of response from sponsors and logistics problems.
Sethi, the head of PCB's Executive Committee, announced the PSL will be held from 4-24 February next year.
“The PSL will be held in Doha from February 4-24 with a prize money of one million dollars (100 million rupees) and we are getting encouraging responses from sponsors and foreign players,” said Sethi.
The idea behind staging the league was to give Pakistani players a chance to compete with and against top foreign players, something which the national players do not get as international cricket has been suspended in the country since 2009.
Pakistan was a no go area for international teams since terrorists' attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.
This was partially overcome with a short limited-over series against Zimbabwe in May-June this year.
“We are in talks with 40 foreign players and we expect some 25 to sign for the league and out of these 15 will be world class players,” Sethi said of the planned league.
Four West Indians and two players each from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa were amongst the targeted names, he said.
Sethi added that no player from India was on the PSL target list as the Board of Control for Cricket in India does not allow its players to feature in a foreign league.
Pakistan was forced to shift the League to Doha after grounds in the United Arab Emirates -- where Pakistan have played all their home cricket since 2009 -- were booked for a private league in January-February 2016.
Read more
On DawnNews
Comments (38) Closed
Aug 26, 2015 08:19pm
Best of luck.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:21pm
Well done PCB, all the best.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:24pm
He needs to tell us first as to what happened to the Pak-Ind series for which he put his stamp on approval for the big three non sense. Who is he with? Pakistan or India? Some people just simply dont learn from their past.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:32pm
I still don't get it, why we are not trying to get this in Pakistan. Not helping Cricket.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:33pm
Stop this nonsense.
ThePCB is not a stock listed company with a fiduciary duty to celebrate profits, it's an entity meant to develop cricket infrastructure in the country.
In this regard, they should work towards a competitive domestic league which doesn't have to include international talent.
This is important to get the amazing talent Pakistan has on the streets into the stadium.
These patwaris need to be removed and replaced with former cricketers which recognize talent and live cricket for the game and not for the money.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:36pm
Best of luck to Pakistan; let's hope this bodes well for the health of our domestic cricket.
Can anybody confirm whether the UAE pulled its support due to the recent disagreement on the Yemeni crisis?
Hasan
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:41pm
Best of Luck - My personal opinion is that you are unlikely to get any top players to play in a league a month before the T20 World Cup.
Any board worth its salt will want to protect their contracted players from picking up an injury playing in a tournament that ends 15 days before the start of the world cup.
So you are probably going to get non-contracted players at best.
Nevertheless, people will argue that it is better than nothing - but I can't see it transitioning to Pakistan anytime soon, unless the security situation improves substantially.
Despite the Zimbabwe tour, it is pretty obvious that International cricket in Pakistan is not likely to happen anytime soon - and these league in Qatar confirms that.
Again, best of luck.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:47pm
What achieved if it is not organised Pakistan...no revival of cricket in Pakistan. You pay the players and they can play anywhere but NOT in Pakistan. So nothing achieved like supporting Big 3 !
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 08:55pm
I am only supporting this because it will give our local players exposure to play with international players and they can make money like other countries domestic players are making.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:02pm
A good start, lets hope its a success.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:04pm
Best of luck. Improvise and be innovative and you won't need to play India until they beg for it.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:10pm
Why Pakistan is irritating India now a days...? You know what I'm pointing to!
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:12pm
@taimoor khan
bcci itself backed out from playing with pakistan because apparently it toed the line of BJP right wing politicians.
plus, i think not agreeing to the idea of the big three would have isolated pakistan. pakistan currently doesnt have the resources to stay aloof from the rest of the world cricket.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:14pm
At one stadium?
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:16pm
good job najam
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:27pm
This tournament will be a big flop...
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:28pm
25 International players + another 30 Pakistani players would be 55, hardly 4 teams. Best of Luck....
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:35pm
Good ... Very good.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:45pm
Every Pakistani was saying IPL is run by money and its not cricket.... Now they are trying to copy Indians again....
Be innovative start something small like underarm cricket tournament and see how it goes before competing with the big boys
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 09:49pm
We do not need more cricket what we need is more quality cricket. We do not want cricket that is created to satisfy the need of its wealthy patrons and sponsors.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 10:01pm
That means if PSL would organised in Qatar then Pakistani crowd can't go and see the match in the stadium ...than whats the use ???
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 10:10pm
My only question is that who will watch those matches in Qatar...how many do you really think will come to stadium....
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 10:51pm
Yeah, whatever it is, let's put our weight behind it. Let's come together for the sake of Pakistan Cricket, even if it's Najam Sethi & Co. and even if it's overseas. Best of Luck. This will be great for talents like Noman Anwer, Usman Shinwari, Afraz Khoso and rest who are yet to make mark at the international scene.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 11:05pm
I bet a start up pre-view 20/20 match between Bollywood stars and Pakistan's Lollywood stars at the same venue would make more money for welfare activities in Pakistan & India!
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 11:06pm
Very horrible decision by PCB to organize PSL in Qatar. This will send negative message to foreign team and dent the chances of cricket revival in Pakistan. PSL should have been held in Pakistan. Why copy IPL. Instead PCB should have focused on our local talent and taking steps to revive cricket in Pakistan. PSL can even generate interest without having foreign players.
Recommend
0
Aug 26, 2015 11:53pm
Not wise decision. They should have gone with local players and around 10 foreign players but in pakistan. Even if I keep monetary gains into perspective, it is a short term benefit but it won't work in long run.
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 12:43am
PCB has already wasted its financial resources for
this league. Still has not got the success they
needed. PCB hired Haroon lorgart Former ICC
Chief Executive for this purpose, thrown millions
of rupees on him but he could not do anything for
this purpose. Reasons might be poor planning or
completely wrong directions. PCB should not have
been focusing on conducting league in Pakistan
because of poor law and order situations. Players
are not interested in coming in Pakistan.
Therefore, PCB failed in organizing the PSL in its
first two attempts despite of wasting huge
financial resources.
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 01:21am
Great achievement! Best of luck to PSL.
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 02:11am
1 million dollar is like peanut in comparision to billion dollar IPL anyway something is better than nothing.
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 04:44am
1$ mln is nothing no international player interested
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 05:55am
More than two dozen players in IPL make a million dollars or more EACH and we are talking of PSL with TOTAL prize money of 1 million dollars. Good Luck!
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 07:16am
No matter who did it wasn't a wise man, Qatar has a discrimination against we Pakistanis which Dubai doesn't hard rules for Visa even for Americans they charge $35 entry fee, Cricket will be a reason to know what is Doha?, why do we need any other country, why not our beloved Pakistan
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 10:27am
Summarizing-
1. PSL should happen in Pakistan
2. Should be held post T-20 world cup
3. Get top players from abroad not ordinary.
4. Invite corporates to participate
5. Improve stadium facilities to make it a good experience for visiting families
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 10:34am
IPL winner gets $2.3 mil. PSL has announced $1 mil. It's not that big of a difference considering bigger league, more teams, and bigger market.
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 11:00am
Najam Sethi is a decent man. Hope his efforts produce results. The matches will possibly be of the quality of Ranji trophy. Can Indian amateur level clubs participate as well in PSL to beef up the numbers? Total 4 teams is very small number as of now.
Recommend
0
Aug 27, 2015 01:53pm
@shiraz I think it's the right thing, we have to be patient. If you did it in Pakistan no foreign player will visit and even if they did it won't be financially viable due to the unprecedented security they'll require. And having no foreign players defeats the purpose.
I think PCB should have a 2 year plan, assuming the security situation will be much improved by then, and in that time invest the money they make from PSL on improving the domestic league and our stadiums which need a lot of work.
Recommend
0
Aug 28, 2015 06:17am
Which "15 world class players" will agree to play in a tournament with a Total Prize Pool of $1 Million? As a comparison, more than 10 players individually make more than $1 Million in IPL.
Best of Lots of Luck, anyway.
Recommend
0
Aug 29, 2015 12:20am
Well done PCB, all the best
Recommend
0
