Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the owners of the Pakistan Premier League (PSL) franchises have considered a proposal to hold the tournament in January of next year.
According to media reports, matters related to the next edition of the PSL were discussed at a PSL Board of Directors meeting held in London. The report states that the board proposed moving the PSL to January due to concerns about a shortfall in advertising revenue during April and May.
The franchise owners have expressed concern about whether, regardless of the tournament date, they will receive the full amount of broadcasting rights revenue. Doubts are being raised about advertising revenue, especially given that television rights revenue has not met expectations.
Under the current PSL agreement, all franchises receive 95% of the broadcasting rights revenue generated by the central revenue pool.
The first nine editions of the PSL were played during February and March. However, due to the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 and this year’s T20 World Cup, the tournament was moved to April-May for the past two seasons. As a result, the PSL was held concurrently with the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Advantages of holding the PSL alongside the IPL were the consistent availability of foreign players, as player availability had previously been an issue due to conflicts with other T20 leagues around the world.
However, this problem could resurface with the return to the January-February period, as the PSL might struggle to secure foreign players during this time, similar to South Africa’s SA20 and Australia’s Big Bash League.
The report also states that holding the PSL in January could pose administrative and weather-related challenges for the PCB, as January and February are considered the harshest winter months in Punjab.
