PSL owners are looking to sell their franchises: Shoaib Akhtar

The Pakistan Super League for the longest time has been seen as Pakistan’s answer to the Indian Premier League. However, their success hasn’t been a great deal compared to their Indian counterpart. Especially with several seasons played in the UAE, the league lost a lot of money.

The previous season which happened this year was the first edition completedly played in Pakistan. For the first time, there were completely packed stadiums, something which wasn’t happening with the league in the UAE.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has come out and said that the league has lost a lot of money in the past few years. He also predicted that the tournament might not be held in the next 16 to 18 months. Earlier this year, the PSL had to be called off mid-way. Ahead of the knockout stages, the league shifted to ‘behind the closed doors’ due to the outbreak of COVID-19. However, the situation went from bad to worse as the fifth season had to be postponed indefinitely.

The PSL can’t be held before 16 to 18 months: Shoaib Akhtar

“I know some people wouldn’t like to hear this but some owners are looking to sell their franchises. I would be more than happy to provide financial and non-monetary support to keep the PSL alive and to thrive. I think if we do the math, the PSL can’t be held before 16 to 18 months. The World Cup will also take probably after eight months because time is needed for the Coronavirus issue to settle down,” Akhtar said while speaking on a television show as quoted by Hindustan Times.

There have been rumors that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to host the knockouts of the league in the month of September. The former pacer deemed this possibility an unlikely thing. Previously, Akhtar had revealed that he is interested in buying a PSL team.

“The thing is if there is no proper cricket until say September, how can the PSL be held in four months? I don’t think the board can ask for money from the franchisees in this situation. As far as I know, some franchises are already ready to sell their brand. They have offers,” Akhtar claimed. “I will make sure that the PSL thrives and stays alive and it gets big brands to make progress,” he added.