UAE confirmed as venue for Pakistan Super League
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday confirmed UAE as the host for the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), ending weeks of uncertainty over the venue of the Twenty20 tournament.
The PSL, a Twenty20 league along the same lines as the IPL and Big Bash, will be held from February 4-24, 2016, in Dubai and Sharjah with a total of 24 matches deciding the winners of the tournament, the PCB announced in a press release.
“The PSL has already floated tenders for broadcasters and producers. This will be followed by a tendering process for sponsorships in the second week of October. Franchise owners will be inducted between mid to end November after which the foreign and local players will be drafted and teams constituted,” Najam Sethi, Chairman of the Governing Council of the PSL, said.
“There is a pool of top coaches also from which franchise owners will be able to pick and chose,” added Sethi.
The change of venue from Qatar to UAE comes after meetings of top officials of the PCB and the UAE board.
In August this year, Sethi had officially announced Qatar as the venue after scheduling conflict meant grounds in the UAE were not available early next year.
A Twenty20 league has been in the works since 2013 but the Pakistan Cricket Board has had to postpone it twice -- in 2014 and 2015 -- over what it said was lack of response from sponsors and logistics issues.
But in an interview Dawn earlier this month, Sethi revealed that the PCB was 'currently engaged with around 10-15 parties' as commercial partners.
Swashbuckling West Indian batsman Chris Gayle and England's Kevin Pietersen, last week, became the latest high-profile cricketers to have agreed to be part of the PSL, joining a host of international stars in talks with the PCB.
The 35-year-old Gayle, who is a major attraction in Twenty20 leagues in India, Australia and England, is the sixth player from West Indies to have joined the ranks of potential signings after teammates Keiron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Dwyane Smith, Samuel Badree were revealed as the first big-name players to come aboard the PSL.
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Comments (50) Closed
Sep 24, 2015 07:17pm
UAE is much better venue than Qatar as lots of pakistanis are living in uae, Feb is the right season to play cricket there , I request PCB not to copy IPL style and organize in its own style to succeed, All the very best ISL, A cricket lover from across the border
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Sep 24, 2015 07:26pm
Success depends upon just two factors (a) players and (b) spectators and now it is up to PCB as how it handles the event where it can mint not just earn money. UAE is a country where bulk majority of workforce who are spectators now on the event come from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and at the same time a big lot from UK is also found therefore maximum players be in action from these countries and quite naturally their country men will flock to see their stars in action. Top players of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe cannot be ignored either. Feb is a favorite month when the temperature is quite mild. I am sorry to say that as of today not many foreign players have agreed to play but PCB has enough time to reach all those who matter. Incidentally Qatar was not that attractive venue to host it because it is more toned to football whereas UAE team has played at international level. I pray PCB succeeds. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi4merdiplomat@hotmail.com
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Sep 24, 2015 07:27pm
It is really sad that Pakistan's super league will happen in UAE not Pakistan
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Sep 24, 2015 07:42pm
The prize money is too much comparing to the salary caps. I only followed first edition of IPL and as far as I remember the winning team got $ 800,000. Dhoni was bougt for some 1.5 million US $ and afridi $700000. The point is why give 10 million dollars even the half of prize money is quite good.
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Sep 24, 2015 07:44pm
over 700 people died in mecca and pakistan wants to play cricket!!
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Sep 24, 2015 07:45pm
Its not played in Pakistan. then how can it called be PSL
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Sep 24, 2015 07:51pm
I hope that they don't rig up matches like the IPL.
For some reason I have begun to dislike the IPL due to the corruption. Now I don't even feel like watching on TV. Earlier I used to rush to the stadiums.
Never ever should people stab the spectators in the back.
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Sep 24, 2015 07:55pm
Any local UAE players included, if not it is a bad move. Include 2 UAE players in each team to encourage them .
Also at the end have matches with PSL winner versus IPL winners and big Bash winners and this will get lot of money to PCB.
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Sep 24, 2015 07:57pm
Happy PSL..who were not able to make into IPL.
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Sep 24, 2015 08:00pm
And its called Pakistan Super League???
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Sep 24, 2015 08:39pm
@Sandeep When IPL held in UAE and South Africa, Then how did you called it IPL?
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Sep 24, 2015 08:48pm
Dear Indian friends, we know the series is not being played in Pakistan and we are not happy with it. You people mentioning it every time you see such post only increases our love for you. One day Inshallah our boys will be playing on our own soil. Until then, we are happy for whatever we have. Let's hope for good cricket for now.
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Sep 24, 2015 08:49pm
@sandeep IPL was also played in UAE once, then why it was called IPL..... The name has nothing to do with its venue, rather it depend on the owner of the product, which is pakistan ofcourse here....
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Sep 24, 2015 08:57pm
@sandeep Really! You have nothing better to do today!
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Sep 24, 2015 09:46pm
another thorn in the side of indians.....almost all world's best players are willing to sign it and leave ipl....provided that they must be given assurances that pakistan will conduct this event every year.........indian boys ...atleast pakistan wont offer international players the ghost rooms in ghost hotels.
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Sep 24, 2015 09:51pm
@ratan mia Most of the UAE Players are expats (Indians, Pakistanis et al)... there was a league called "Champions League Twenty20" It was jointly owned by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. Currently it stands abandoned. Perhaps if PSL is a success, it may warrant a re-start. All the best!
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Sep 24, 2015 10:00pm
Its gonna be of Huge fun and entertaining event. Every Pakistani is anxiously waiting...!!!
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Sep 24, 2015 10:22pm
@M Amjad everybody knows why IPL was held outside in 2009 and 2014 and the reason was not security.
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Sep 24, 2015 10:22pm
@Frankenstein prize money is 1 million and not 10 million
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Sep 24, 2015 10:31pm
As an Indian, I would request all the Indians to stop commenting on the venue for this event. IPL too was held in South Africa once but no one called it SAPL. Petty comments like these don't help anyone.
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Sep 24, 2015 10:38pm
@oldest civilization Please feel free to go to UAE to watch PSL matches, I'm sure they will be error free! All the best!
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Sep 24, 2015 10:50pm
Good for PSL!!
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Sep 24, 2015 11:02pm
@Hamood Good luck One day hopefully Pakistan will be secure to have games in its own soil...Some bad choices have led to this day
Hope it changes...A happy Pakistan that is not hating India and a growing Pakistan that is not self destructive is only good for everyone in the region including India
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Sep 24, 2015 11:35pm
@sandeep as ipl was once played in south africa and still called ipl just like that it will called PSL
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Sep 24, 2015 11:52pm
But until when? Nothing happens until it happens. So let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
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Sep 25, 2015 12:16am
We should have had one team from Muzaffarabad as well
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Sep 25, 2015 12:17am
@sandeep Just like IPL played in South Africa was still called IPL
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Sep 25, 2015 12:30am
Understand , P S L can not be held in Pakistan b'coz many players form other countries may not come for security reason , Go ahead All the best To P C B
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Sep 25, 2015 12:51am
if Pakistanis inside Pakistan cannot go and watch the games, how is it going to be a success? It doesn't even justify the name for the tournament.
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Sep 25, 2015 01:25am
PIA should give great discounts for people to go UAE to watch PSL and country economy will improve and make profit.
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Sep 25, 2015 01:31am
I wish PSL also plays few games in India soon and profit can be shared to show our open heart.
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Sep 25, 2015 02:03am
An inquiry should be made as to why the venue was changed from Qatar to UAE.
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Sep 25, 2015 02:50am
@sandeep
The way IIFA awards held in Malaysia, Sri Lanka or somewhere else STILL REMAIN Indian...
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Sep 25, 2015 03:05am
It's a good move . It had to start from somewhere and UAE is an ideal spot at the moment. Just watch out for conspiracies as someone, somewhere will try to derail it with one of the dirty tactics. Major issue is the crowd attendance as more crowd attends, more successful it will be. Well done, THE ORGANIZERS & PLANNERS. BEST OF LUCK.
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Sep 25, 2015 03:14am
That's alot of MONEY PCB spending!!! Alot alot!
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Sep 25, 2015 03:38am
@KN - There is a perception in India, imparted by the constant negative rant of the media and the government that Pakistanis hate Indians. With all the comments that I have seen in years and the reaction of Indian readers in response to events like the "terror boat", it seems the complete opposite.
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Sep 25, 2015 04:20am
Good job Najm Sethi.
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Sep 25, 2015 05:16am
$140,000 top salary is too low since in IPL, the top salaries are $1.5 millions.
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Sep 25, 2015 06:49am
We are robbing Pakistanis of watching PSL. We should hold this only in Pakistan even if no Foreign players play. Give our domestic players opportunity.
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Sep 25, 2015 07:02am
@sadam khan
I don't think so....
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Sep 25, 2015 08:36am
@Frankenstein , $10 lakh, not $10 million.
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Sep 25, 2015 09:59am
This league should happen in Pakistan sooner than later. The Pakistani public needs so much de-stressing from their many problems.
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Sep 25, 2015 10:48am
I will be there, InshAllah.
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Sep 25, 2015 11:40am
@pak yes but what cricket (or anything else in the world) has to do with that? Should you stop going to school/work because people died there? Life goes on.
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Sep 25, 2015 12:01pm
@Iqbal Hadi Zaidi No Indian or Australian or British will watch the PCL matches in the UAE. The Pakistanis in the UAE are by and large illegal immigrants or belong to economically challenged sections of the society who will rather spend their money for their next meal rather than splurging on cricket !!!!
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Sep 25, 2015 12:03pm
@ratan mia not just 2 include at least 11 UAE cricketers in each team
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Sep 25, 2015 01:15pm
@Hamood I am Indian but on this I agree with you - Inshallah one day you WILL host matches in Pakistan ... hopefully sooner rather than later .... until then this will have to do ... Good Luck to the PSL !! Please don't base your feelings about Indians on a few comments you see here - by and large most Indians either don't think about Pakistan at all or wish well for Pakistan ... very few actively hate ...
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Sep 26, 2015 04:39am
@YS-USA -Hope PCB will bump it up by 2 folds otherwise top players will only give 10% effort to make match exciting.
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Sep 26, 2015 04:43am
@Human form - Please do not say that. We have many well educated doctors/engineers/ mosque priests/lawyers in UAE. They all will watch with their neigbours who are indians for fun.
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Sep 27, 2015 04:43pm
@Frankenstein the price money is one million and not ten million.
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