The Pakistan Super League is finally going to resume on June 9 in Abu Dhabi. The tournament was suspended due to rise in Covid-19 cases within the franchise sides.
The Pakistan Cricket Board CEO Wasim Khan in an interview with Cricbuzz has said that the PSL is a marquee event for them and it was important for the board to complete the 2021 edition.
“Of course, the finances are important but as important is the fact that it's a marquee event for us. From a finance point of view, it is not the be-all and end-all of everything. Every cricket board relies heavily on ICC funding, ICC distributions and broadcasting revenues. We have two to three fixed sources of income that come in as revenue.”
Wasim Khan admitted that there is a huge importance of the PSL as far as the finances are concerned.
"Finances are hugely important for us from PSL, but more importantly, it is a marquee tournament for us on an annual basis which has been built up since 2016. Franchises have invested a lot of time, money and effort into HBL PSL, which is important on a number of levels. From that point of view, it is very important for us to make it happen,” he said.
The PSL was earlier put to a halt but was then scheduled to resume in Karachi from June 1 with all the matches to be played at the same venue including the final.
But the franchises requested the PCB to move it out of Pakistan citing the Covid-19 situation in the country.
The PCB though faced some problems with the logistics throughout the later half of May and then in the first couple of days in June before the dates for the tournament’s resumption could finally be announced.
There were visa-related issues for the players travelling from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi while the support staff was also not allowed to take the flight because of lack of clearances.