Government on the lookout as PCB joins hands with betting website for PSL sponsorship

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 got underway and is in full swing  earlier this week. The defending champions Multan Sultans are currently at the top of the points table having won their opening encounter convincingly against Karachi Kings by seven wickets. While the tournament is in progress, it has been reported that the Pakistani government has intervened in a serious matter which could hamper the smooth functioning of the event.

A report in Cricket Pakistan states that a sub-company of a betting website is involved in the PSL as a sponsor and the government is curious about their partnership with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Betting can not be acceptable during the PSL, it damages the reputation of the game: Pakistan minister

Commenting on the issue, Minister of Inter-Provincial Coordination of Pakistan, Fehmida Mirza has cautioned the PCB and gone on to say that betting is not acceptable. Furthermore, the minister also added that encouraging the act would only damage the reputation of the sport in Pakistan.

“Betting can not be acceptable during the PSL matches as it damages the reputation of the game in the country. If there will be bets on PSL matches, it would be hard to stop the players from the trend of getting involved in fixing too. PCB must take action earnestly to stop these incidents,” she said as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

‘Dafa News’, which is one of the sponsors in the seventh edition of the PSL, is reportedly the sub-company of a foreign betting website ‘Dafabet’. Currently, the logo of the media house painted on the grounds and is also being promoted as a medium of boundary advertisements.

Coming back to the ongoing season of the Pakistan Super League which is a one-month tournament,  Karachi’s National Stadium will host 15 matches, while Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will be hosting 19 of them including the knockout fixtures. The league stages conclude on February 21. The Qualifier will be played on February 23 with the Eliminators scheduled on 24 and 25 respectively. The decider will be played in Lahore on 27th.