Pakistan Super League has been in the news for the last few days, with a number of players preferring IPL over Pakistan’s premier tournament, a trend that was on show during the last season as well, with Corbin Bosch becoming the first player to ditch PSL for IPL
The Decision
Players like Blessing Muzarabani and Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Dasun Shanaka have opted out of the league and have joined IPL, thereby continuing what was seen as a move that would subside with time, but seems to have become a trend.
The Reason
One of the reasons why players are giving up PSL contracts after getting picked in the IPL is because the two leagues have started to clash, something which wasn’t the case when PSL started back in 2016
The Timing
One could argue that the Pakistan Cricket Board was compelled to schedule the league in late March and early April last year due to the Champions Trophy, which was held in Pakistan and Dubai in February and March. Having said that, the clash could have been avoided this time.
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The Result
With both leagues starting around the same time this year as well, players have the option of choosing between PSL and IPL, and with a number of first-choice players getting injured, they are being approached by various IPL teams as a possible replacement.
The Development
To add to the news of various players leaving PSL for IPL, there are reports that Bangladeshi players might pull out of PSL due to security concerns.
What They Said
According to Bangladesh’s state minister for youth and sports, Aminul Haque, the government is contemplating not allowing its players to participate in the league due to security concerns. In the words of Aminul Haque, “Definitely our cricketers are not going if there is a security concern (in PSL),” Aminul said. “First, BCB has to inform us about it (security concern), and afterwards we will take an official decision based upon our observation (following scrutiny from national agencies).”
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The Assurance
“If the BCB ensures us that there is no problem if our cricketers go there, in that case we don’t have any problem. They (BCB) have to ensure what the players want because we don’t want to discourage sports, and we want everyone to play from their respective places,” he added. “The BCB should consult us about security purposes and everything, and if they can ensure that (everything is fine), in that case, we can proceed.”
The Broadcast
There are possibilities regarding the ban on the broadcast of IPL in Bangladesh that came into effect following Mustafizur’s removal from the KKR squad after picking him in the auction, being lifted. When asked about the same, Haque said, “We have not discussed it yet. After the vacation ends, we will speak with the cricket board and understand the actual situation before making a decision.”
“We want to build a friendly relationship. Sports should not be politicised. We need to understand why the IPL broadcast was stopped, and then we will take a call,” he added.