PSL set for IPL clash as PCB proposes move to April-May window

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The PCB has proposed a spate of radical changes to the PSL which, if approved, could include:

Shifting the league from next season to an April-May window which would mean it clashes directly with the IPL, in a bid, officials say, to "co-exist" with the IPL rather than "compete" with it.Extra money for franchises to sign a marquee player outside the salary cap, including the possibility of a USD300,000-plus contract.Play-offs to be played at a neutral venue, with the UK as an option.

The plans were proposed at a meeting between the board and six franchises on Saturday, a pre-meeting before the formal PSL governing council meeting due at the end of May. The board is hoping to lock in the proposals at that meeting. ESPNcricinfo understands that a couple of franchises are in favour of the schedule move, and the rest, for the moment, are either undecided or against the idea. Lahore Qalandars, two-time champions, are thought to be one of those opposed to the shift.

The PCB said in a press release that the 2025 Champions Trophy, which Pakistan is scheduled to host in February, meant the proposed window for PSL 10 would be April 7 to May 20. That means it runs in the same window as the IPL, a prospect EPSNcricinfo first reported on in 2022.

But ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB is looking at this as a permanent switch, as the PSL tries to move away from the increasingly cramped December-February window in which it operates currently, where it clashes not only with four other T20 leagues, but also a busy international cricket calendar. By contrast, moving to the April to May window means little to no Full Member international cricket and only the IPL, against which, officials acknowledge, it can't compete but can try to co-exist with. And if, as expected, the PSL inducts two new teams from 2026, there remains potential to accommodate a longer season in that window.

The weather, and heat in particular in May in the country, could count against it, though international cricket has been played in Pakistan in that month (and later). A slot in September also came up during the meeting, though a smaller window and international cricket running alongside it meant it was dismissed quickly.

In the medium term, it will also help the PSL avoid being played almost entirely in Ramadan, as would have been the case next year. As part of the lunar calendar, Ramadan starts ten days earlier every year on the Gregorian calendar so it would clash with the PSL's usual February-March window for the next few years. Ramadan not only affects timings of games and crowd turnout, it is also a big window for advertising; playing the PSL in Ramadan would impact advertising and sponsorship revenues for the league.

There were discussions during the meeting about holding the PSL draft after the IPL auction, in order to have greater clarity about the availability of foreign players for the league. The board circulated a list of names at the meeting of players who went unsold at the IPL auction this year, including the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Adil Rashid and Jason Holder, as an indication of the kind of foreign player they could attract in a window where they are the only league other than the IPL. Next year, however, is the IPL mega auction so the available roster will be impacted.

This season's PSL, which began amid worries that it had been hit by the unavailability or limited availability of a number of foreign stars, would likely have played a role in these discussions. Not that it impacted on viewership, at least according to the PCB's numbers. The board said its live audience this season was "upwards of 350 million", the highest in its history. That confirms that the league has built its cache over the years as much on the strength of its local players and young emerging talent as on big foreign names. It has also built a good degree of loyalty, which has meant viewership has not been unduly impacted by the presence, or quality, of foreign names.

The PCB is also planning on attracting bigger foreign names by allocating a portion of its own media rights revenue to franchises, to allow them to go over and above their current salary caps. The board announced a 45% increase in PSL media rights from the last cycle, including a 113% increase in livestreaming rights and a 41% increase in international media rights. That could see them offer certain players USD300,000-plus, for a relatively light schedule that, until next year, will be a minimum of 10 games. Until now, the highest salary paid to a foreign player in the PSL has been around USD220,000 (including commercial add-ons).

Also under consideration is staging the play-offs in a foreign venue, in a bid, say officials, to expand the international footprint of the league. Among the destinations that came up for discussion in the meeting were the UK, the UAE and Australia. Given that the window is April-May, that realistically leaves the UK as the only option: Edgbaston, Old Trafford and The Oval were thrown around as potential venues, where PSL games would attract a healthy audience. The PCB has not reached out to any of the boards at the moment, waiting to see what the franchises say at the end of the month before taking this idea any further.

Franchise responses will ultimately dictate the fate of the proposals, triggered by the new PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi seeking greater certainty around the scheduling of the league, as well as the need to avoid a clash with international cricket. That was an aim spelt out clearly at the meeting.

The public reaction from Ali Naqvi, owner of the reigning champions and the league's most successful franchise Islamabad United, was notably guarded. "We need to continue to engage in discussions and find our ways and options so that we can collectively achieve our overarching objectives," he said.