DUBAI // India’s leading cricketers will be invited to participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) when the tournament debuts in the UAE in February.
Their presence in the competition will, however, be largely dependent on whether India agree to play a bilateral series against Pakistan on these shores in December.
Najam Sethi, head of Pakistan Cricket Board’s executive committee, has been in Dubai this week for discussions related to both the international series and the new Twenty20 league.
Pakistani players are currently prohibited from playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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However, Sethi says Indian stars, such as MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, would be welcome to play in Pakistan’s version, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai and Sharjah next year.
“We are going to try to persuade the Indians to play us in December,” Sethi said.
“If that happens, we will also be talking about a reciprocal arrangement – and I have had preliminary talks with people in Delhi on this – about Pakistani players being allowed to play in IPL and Indian players being allowed to play in PSL.
“If the series takes place in December, the ground will be fertile. If you don’t want our players to play in your league, OK, but at least let your players play in ours. It will be difficult for them to refuse that. There will be pressure from the players.
“If Indian players do come in, then I think PSL will become the biggest thing in cricket after IPL.”
When the IPL was temporarily exiled to the UAE last year, 19 of the 20 matches staged across the grounds in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi were sold out.
Sethi is unsure whether the PSL will be able to attract quite the same attendances, in the first running of the five-franchise, 21-day event.
He acknowledges the PSL will be more profitable when it is staged back in Pakistan, which he believes could potentially happen within “two to three years”.
A raft of leading international stars were asked to signal their interest to play in the competition, with contracts worth US$100,000-200,000 (Dh376,000-734,000) for foreign players and $25,000-150,000 for Pakistani players.
The overseas players were asked to tick boxes as to whether they would be willing to play in Pakistan, or just the UAE.
He said few of players ticked the box that signalled their willingness to play in Pakistan.
“We are going to try our best,” Sethi said. “Obviously if this was in Pakistan, everything would be sold out. Our experience of the Zimbabwe series was phenomenal.
“There was a packed stadium every match. There was a rush of sponsors. It was incredible. I am convinced that sooner rather than later, PSL will come home to Pakistan.
“We are tackling terrorism. We have had two very successful tours [Zimbabwe men and Bangladesh women].
“PSL will come home, but it may take two or three years.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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