DUBAI // Najam Sethi, the chairman of the HBL Pakistan Super League, says they have learnt the lessons of last year, and that the second season of the Twenty20 competition will be an upgrade on the first.
The five teams will be playing for a crystal-encrusted Swarovski trophy, which took over four months to craft. That is longer than it took to throw the first PSL event together last season. Sethi says the “glitches” of the debut campaign have been ironed out now.
Ticket sales "We were short of time in organising it here," Sethi said on Monday, at the unveiling of the trophy. "We were worried about ticket sales, we were worried about our ability to fill the stadiums, and there were glitches. Tickets weren't available everywhere and on time, and there were many other issues related to the crowds. I think many of those have been sorted out."
PSL sceptics Advertising billboards bearing the faces of the likes of Chris Gayle and Mohammed Amir are prevalent in Dubai. "We are spending more money on advertisements and publicity," Sethi said. "Last year it was a new product. Many people didn't know about it, and others were sceptical. Now that is behind us."
Breaking more than even "I must confess that even we were surprised by the enormity of the success," Sethi said of the 2016 PSL campaign. "We had budgeted for a break-even situation, and we ended up making a fair amount of money. We distributed that to the franchises, because we didn't want them to feel they had lost out."
Friendly franchises "When we distributed our profits to the franchises, that left a very good taste in the mouth, in terms of the fact we are all in this together," Sethi said. "It is not like we are in this to make money, and you have to bear the losses. That led to a resurgence in confidence in our managerial abilities, and so we have had the best of relations with our franchises."
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Also on Pakistan Super League
■ Players to get security briefing
■ What, where, when and how to get tickets
■ Who are star names missing from Season 2
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