PSL 2024 Falls Behind IPL, Incurs Heavy Losses For PCB Due To Empty Stadiums
Babar Azam in front of a near-empty crowd during PSL 2024 (PCB)
The recently-concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL 2024) season incurred heavy losses for several competing franchises as well as for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Several matches of the tournament were played in nearly empty grounds, including the playoffs fixtures held at Karachi’s National Stadium.
While lack of huge crowds affected the ticket revenue, the increasing dollar prices against PKR also prompted franchises to pay higher salaries to their players.
PSL 2024 no match for IPL: Report
According to a report, near-empty grounds for PSL 2024 matches at Karachi and Rawalpindi has affected the ticket revenue for the PCB as well as for the competing franchises. The ticket sales saw an overall decline of 17 percent, thus leading to losses of PKR 100 million for the PCB.
The report further indicated that PCB’s overall revenue generation through PSL 2024 was PKR 7 billion, allowing each franchise to fetch PKR 98 crore in their purse. However, team expenses like rising player salaries, air travel fares, hotel accommodations and other factors range between 55 and 60 million for some teams.
The PCB has often presented PSL as its best bet against BCCI’s lucrative franchise-based T20 league, the Indian Premier League (IPL). In terms of revenue generation, PSL 2024 numbers stands nowhere close to the profits made by IPL during its 2023 edition.
As per Redseer Strategy Consultants, the IPL 2023 earned INR 10,120 crores from the advertising revenues alone. Large and near-capacity crowds for all IPL matches also accounts for large sums for the Indian board.