DUBAI: Former Pakistan opening batsman and renowned commentator Ramiz Raja has suggested that Pakistan Super League (PSL) should adopt auction system to pick players in the franchise rather than the players draft and believes that will attract more current international players to join the league.

Raja, while suggesting changes PSL should make for the coming seasons to make it more attractive, said, “I will suggest that we should take it (PSL) to auction rather than draft. It might strengthen top two teams but I feel rest of the teams will put more efforts, and financially, it will become a bigger game since many of the current big names in international cricket will come to play. This will also increase stakes,” he added.

However, Ramiz was not too sure whether the PSL management could do that. “I am not sure if our system can adopt it or not, but personally I would like to see it that way,” he said.

Commenting on the low spectators’ turnout in Dubai and Sharjah, he said that the management took things for granted which was the reason that they did not receive the expected response. “I feel we will need to hire tour operators. We will have to take fans from Pakistan,’ he suggested.

“All the stakeholders, who have invested money in the league, they all need to put in efforts because it is important for their product to be visible. The good thing about the league is that people in Pakistan are still enjoying it. So if you want to hold the league in UAE, you need tour operators, you need to engage our people working in the Emirates here. I think we have taken things for granted this year and did not get the response which we received in the last two years,” he observed.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2018