‘PSL council may discuss addition of teams’

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to discuss the idea of adding new teams in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) during a governing council meeting next month, according to a report.

“The PCB has not taken the matter [additional teams] up with franchises formally or informally yet but ESPNcricinfo understands that the issue is likely to be on the agenda of the PSL governing council meeting next month,” the report stated.

The current financial model doesn’t allow additional teams till the 10th season of the event. “The PCB agrees that it shall not introduce a new franchise team in the PSL under the same financial model contained herein, before the tenth edition of the Tournament has concluded, whereafter the PCB may include new franchise team(s) to participate in the PSL from time to time at its sole discretion,” reads the clause 2.12 of the agreement signed in 2021.

“There is immense pressure to increase the number of teams in PSL, but unfortunately Ehsan Mani and Ramiz Raja made an agreement with the franchises that only six teams will play in the next two years. However, it was an eight-team project. We have to convince the franchises to include two more teams. No one will lose anything, and if a franchise suffers a loss, the PCB will take responsibility. But there is a high demand to include two more teams, and it will be more successful with many people showing interest to be part of it. Let me tell you, even if there were 10 teams now, all of them would be sold due to the high demand,” Sethi said.