LAHORE: The inaugural Pakistan Junior League will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium here from October 1-15, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Friday.

The 19-match competition will feature six city-based franchise teams, which will pick players through a draft system. Each team will be mentored by an “iconic” player.

In a “soft launch” of the PJL earlier this month, the PCB said it had a released a “Request for Expressions of Interest” in its sponsorships, streaming rights and the teams’ ownerships.

On Friday, the board claimed it had received “an overwhelming and encouraging response from potential sponsors, partners and entrepreneurs”.

“As a next step, the PCB will now initiate a bidding process after Eid Al-Fitr for live-streaming rights,” the PCB statement said.

“This will be one of the several rights that will be up for grabs as the PCB remains committed to working closely with all stakeholders in an effort to take Pakistan cricket forward.”

The idea behind the PJL is to help local under-19 players integrate with foreign players of their age-group in a bid to boost their learning process and improve their cricket skills.

“As part of the concept, each foreign cricketer will be allowed to have a parent accompany them, with the cost to be picked up by the event organiser or his franchise,” read the statement.

The Pakistan Junior League concept is also in line with the recently-launched PCB Pathway Cricket Programme, through which the board provides 100 talented teenagers with monthly stipends, educational scholarships, cricket equipment and high-performance coaching facilities.

A Pakistan Super League-style tournament for women and junior players has been on PCB chairman Ramiz Raja’s agenda since he assumed the role last year.

Ramiz has since been vocal about how the creation of new “properties” can help the development of the sport as well as reap monetary benefit through their commercial value.

“Commercial partners and sponsors are the life-blood of our sport and organisation,” the PCB chief said.

“In this background, I am grateful and thankful to all those who have expressed interest in acquiring various rights for the Pakistan Junior League.

“I remain optimistic and confident that we will succeed in forming a strong relationship that will produce dividends and developments for Pakistan cricket.”

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2022