Things have not been smooth for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the upcoming 2025 season as they have found themselves in a difficult situation of signing some of their well-known foreign players who weren’t sold at the most recent meg auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
This year’s 20-over league tournament of the country will be taking place from April 8 to March 19, which is sandwiched with the 18th season of the IPL. That has pushed the teams to sign notable players like Steven Smith, David Warner, or Johnny Bairstow, who were unsold in the IPL auction.
The reports of the PTI have expressed that most of the owners of the PSL franchises are eager to sign some of the renowned players of the world that were up for grabs in the auction of the IPL but didn’t go under the hammer. The challenging aspect for the teams is the salary cap of USD 200,000, which isn’t a healthy one to offer the international giants.
The salary cap barrier creates a huge problem for PSL teams in signing players
The entire price of the teams in the PSL is around IR 17 crore, which is such a small purse in comparison to the IPL. Rishabh Pant, the wicket-keeper batter of India, became the most costliest buy of the IPL mega auction for a price of INR 27 crore.
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The IPL is going to be held during the April-May window, and that could see none of the international stars like Warner, Kane Williamson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, or others not having any assignments for their respective countries.
“But the problem is that the player’s draft scheduled on January 11 time is running out to find a formula to sign on high profile players and also ensure a sense of disparity doesn’t develop among players in the PSL.” The report has been addressed.
The news has clarified that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the franchise owners knew that the situation would come where it would be hard to get the majority of the recognized players who were unsold in the IPL and would sign for less than USD 200000.
“The PSL’s new CEO, Salman Naseer, has even suggested that the franchise owners directly talk to the players’ agents so that the PCB is not involved in negotiations.” The reports shed light.
The reports have also claimed that some of the franchise owners were hesitant to pay the players more than the PSL salary cap and were concerned about that. Even if a team were to directly sign a well-known player at a higher salary, it might cause the other players, especially the local ones who be dissatisfied with the entire development.
The agents of those players who were unsold in the mega auction of the Indian Premier League have already contracted various clubs to inquire about the potential trades as the sources have addressed.
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“Some of the PSL franchises are also opposing bypassing the draft and insist that all major players should be part of it.” The reports remarked.
The PSL has always found a few issues in the last few seasons in engaging the attraction of the players and the fans. The viewership has gone down, and now sandwiched with the IPL, it may have a few more issues for this new 2025 season of the league.