KARACHI: The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) plans to host the proposed inaugural Pakistan Snooker League (PSL) in the city in December.

It is pertinent to mention that earlier, the PSL was supposed to take place last year but the plans couldn’t materialise. “There is likelihood that 10 teams will feature in the inaugural competition and every outfit will include one foreign cueist,” the PBSF president Munawwar Husain Shaikh told Dawn on Wednesday.

He said couple of foreign players including the reigning world champion Pankaj Advani (India) and seven-time woman world champion Wendy Jans (Belgium) have shown their willingness to come to Pakistan for the event.

“Participation of at least one or two top women alongside men in the event will be an added attraction for the spectators,” he said adding every team will consist of three players.

Asked about the formation of teams, he said: “It’s the prerogative of the PBSF who will form balanced teams aimed at giving equal chance to all outfits,”.

Referring to the sponsorship, he said: “we have discussed the idea with our main sponsors, Jubilee Insurance, for buying title sponsorship.”

“Besides, some snooker loving people have given their assurance to buy teams and at the same time we’re looking for other private firms to come forward and support the game.”

Elaborating about the expenses, he said the top prize will be somewhere between US $ 5,000 to US $ 10,000 depending on the sponsorship amount besides substantial runners-up purse, appearance money for every cueist, return air fare from Karachi and back to foreign and Pakistan cueists, hotel accomodation and the venue charges among others.

Munawwar Shaikh said December will be lean period to host the event as a hectic calendar which envisaged domestic and international events, has already been chalked out.

When materialised, it will not only give a boost to the game across the country but will also provide financial incentives to top cueists.

It is expected that an amount of over Rs10 million will be incurred on hosting the spectacle and besides setting the ball rolling, will help improve the financial status of the country’s game’s controlling body.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2018