The people behind PSL and the $100m opportunity

Published on: March 26, 2018

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is by far the most anticipated sporting event of the country that has brought back domestic cricket to our cricket crazed nation.

In February 2018, the Twenty20 tournament held its third series with most of the matches taking place in Sharjah and Dubai. Although the final was in Karachi and the semi-finals held in Lahore, for most Pakistanis, the PSL remained primarily a TV event broadcasted from the UAE.

This year’s PSL had six teams; among them Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultan and Quetta Gladiators.

The final between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United brought together thousands of fans to the National Stadium, Karachi, which saw some life after years of near abandonment.

First established in 1955, the National Stadium had not hosted an international match since 2009, when Pakistan played against Sri Lanka. Before this year’s PSL, the stadium, which has a capacity of over 34,000, went through some major overhaul and construction work after nearly 22 years. This was the impact of one match in Karachi.

PCB Chairman Najam Sethi earlier this year said that all matches for the fourth series, expected in February-March 2019, may be held in Pakistan, and VCast Online certainly hopes that is the case.

If security concerns and expense can be removed from the equation and the Pakistan Cricket Board can indeed bring all matches of the series to Pakistan, it would mean significant revenues for the team owners and also for the small businesses serving the cricket economy.

The gate money potential is the most significant contributor with projections of over $100 million.

Watch our video on the opportunity a PSL tournament in Pakistan could offer.

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