What's new

Pakistan Super League 2020 - Crowd Watch

Until and unless the board, government and all those in high authority positions do not make facilities better and viewer friendly, crowds will continue to be less as the facilities in Pakistan are way old as in from the 70's and 80's.

Poor quality seats, lack of facilities and even basic amenities are something that is required in today's environment especially if you want foreign investments coming through and people to come and watch games.
 
Well, they are rich countries as well

That's why I said we overestimate the hunger for cricket. Desis have other things on their minds and some even don't think cricket is worth that money.

Just hope the security costs + closing of half of the city isn't more than the income they will generate.
 
Was at NSK today. Crowd looks worse on TV than it does in real life. Noise and atmosphere were great. The 500 Rs stands were completely filled. The more expensive ones were scant.

In my opinion, the people who are going to fill up the stadium everyday aren't going to purchase tickets online or pay 1000-2000 rupees for one. Need to make it more accessible to the general public.
 
Lahore disappointing yet again. Karachi should have gotten at least one of the weekend night matches.
 
NBA teams play 41 home games every season, most of them on week nights. There are a NUMBER of teams who sell out every game. If people want to go out and watch the game they will, regardless of whatever excuses you give. If midweek football fixtures sell out (despite the next day being a workday) why can't the PSL which only comes around once a year?
 
NBA teams play 41 home games every season, most of them on week nights. There are a NUMBER of teams who sell out every game. If people want to go out and watch the game they will, regardless of whatever excuses you give. If midweek football fixtures sell out (despite the next day being a workday) why can't the PSL which only comes around once a year?

I think you don't realize how pathetic our stadiums are..

No facilities for visitors. No enjoyment.

No proper big screens for all parts of the stadium - the ones they have are from the 90s.

There's super strict security and dozens of checks before you enter the ground. Many people want to avoid the hassle.
 
It seems like 75 % of the ground is full. TBH i was hoping much better crowds
 
I think you don't realize how pathetic our stadiums are..

No facilities for visitors. No enjoyment.

No proper big screens for all parts of the stadium - the ones they have are from the 90s.

There's super strict security and dozens of checks before you enter the ground. Many people want to avoid the hassle.

If people want to watch the cricket, they will. People don't go for the stadium facilities, they go to watch their team play. There's a reason the away stands sell out fast when premier league sides draw non league teams in the FA Cup.

You could put Wembley Stadium in Pakistan but that won't change the local culture. People just don't want to watch the games in the stadium simple as that.
 
The crowds on display have not been good for Pakistan's Cricket image. The PCB have messed up big time with their lack of buzz and promotion this time around.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pakistan is not a cricket crazy country like India or Bangladesh. Interest in cricket in Pak is less than that of India and Bangladesh. Even when cricket was normal thing in Pak in 2000's, the stadiums were not full. So this is the best you are gonna get.
 
Pakistan is not a cricket crazy country like India or Bangladesh. Interest in cricket in Pak is less than that of India and Bangladesh. Even when cricket was normal thing in Pak in 2000's, the stadiums were not full. So this is the best you are gonna get.

The stadiums would certainly be full for ODI's and T-20's, not for test matches. Pakistan was certainly a cricket crazy country but when you have a man like Misbah leading your team and players like Azhar Ali in the team, you are not going to attract sponsors and fan interest.
 
If people want to watch the cricket, they will. People don't go for the stadium facilities, they go to watch their team play. There's a reason the away stands sell out fast when premier league sides draw non league teams in the FA Cup.

You could put Wembley Stadium in Pakistan but that won't change the local culture. People just don't want to watch the games in the stadium simple as that.

again, you guys dont know the ground realities here.
 
Let me tell you guys my expeierence at Pindi stadium

-Couldn't take my car with me. Had to accomodate myself by finding some parking on my own 5 KM away from the ground. Luckily as i know the city i knew the spot to park my car at.

-No metro, this meant had to take a rickshaw. Metro would had cost me Rs. 20, Rickshaws were charging 150-200 no jokes.

-Took long walks and stood in line for atleast an hour.

-All food outlets and restaurants were closed. Only drinks and crips were availible in the stand

-Sat through 2 sessions, had no food.

-Security officials werent allowing anyone to re enter easily if htey had gone out and came back in with the same ticket.

-The screen display doesnt play live, it played replays only.
 
The stadiums would certainly be full for ODI's and T-20's, not for test matches. Pakistan was certainly a cricket crazy country but when you have a man like Misbah leading your team and players like Azhar Ali in the team, you are not going to attract sponsors and fan interest.

Excuse me.

As a true Test Cricket lover I thoroughly enjoy watching grafters and responsible performers like Azhar and Misbah bat and go about their business.

Digging in.
Batting time.
Absorbing pressure.
Battling for their runs.
Displaying a high price on their wicket.
Batting long periods of time.
Proving difficult to dismiss.
Show concentration, patience and stamina to occupy the crease in their own bubble.
Having an unflappable temperament.
Playing straight.

Good old fashioned virtues which advanced technical observers and true Test Cricket followers appreciate.

Misbah was highly entertaining against the spinners mind you:
Hitting sixes effortlessly.
Reverse sweeps expertly played.
Moving around the crease to toy with the bowlers.
Knocking it around into gaps to turn over the strike when the situation allowed.
Teasingly defending balls.

It was a first class education watching him dominate spin and medium place as one of the most skilful players of slow bowling seen. It was admirable and fascinating how he just was strokeless and gutsed it out against pacers where was limited as player, but always knowing his strengths to take charge and cash in against the spinners. He knew his game so well.

Azhar is a pleasing controlled driver of the ball down the ground.
Knows where his off stump is.
Good at nudging ballw into the legside when bowlers stray in line.
Developed sweeping and using his feet options to the spinners to play a more proactive role when the spin is on.
I like watching those aspects of his game.

Cricket is not the sport for you if you find those two top quality organised consistent run scorers boring to watch.
 
50% full, 75% full is not good enough really. The stadiums should be completely sold-out, especially given that this is the first full PSL in Pakistan.

Why aren't the stadiums full? Who is to blame?
 
50% full, 75% full is not good enough really. The stadiums should be completely sold-out, especially given that this is the first full PSL in Pakistan.

Why aren't the stadiums full? Who is to blame?

Lets face it Saj.
Going to a day at the Cricket in that part of the world is not like going to a day at Lord's or the MCG. Spectator experience isn't that great. Security hassle and you are not that close to the action. Big gap between the boundary rope and the stands. Treated like a prisoner almost.
Plus as you know, most people in Eng, Aus or even Ind to some extent go to the cricket to drink some wine and beer. They are there for a bit of a social occasion. The cricket is very much secondary. Of course none of that happens in Pakistan so a bit hard to compare to other parts of the world. People go to the cricket for different purposes. It is not always about the actual cricket. But in Pakistan they are just there for the Cricket.

But Pakistanis seem to think the PSL is a bigger league than it probably is. 5th season and no sports major broadcaster like Sky, BT, Freesports etc have shown any interest in covering it here in the UK whereas IPL even went on ITV4 between 2010-2014. But for PSL we've got these stupid Asian channels with 15 repetitive commercials after each over. The viewing experience is utterly rubbish on telly as well.
 
50% full, 75% full is not good enough really. The stadiums should be completely sold-out, especially given that this is the first full PSL in Pakistan.

Why aren't the stadiums full? Who is to blame?

Firstly, the prices are too high (or so i’m being told) and secondly, people choose what matches they want to watch. Not every match is a crucial match.
 
Holding 8 to 11 matches in a single stadium is one of the reasons for low attendance.

Also day matches on a working day is a no no

Prices are too high

Hassle getting to stadium

To improve we need home and away system with 6 venues minimum. Also can have a few matches at muzzafarabad Hyderabad faisalabad and Sialkot.

Things will get better inshAllah. I hope pindi and Multan are full houses. Let's see. At least they will make more money than UAE
 
I'm confident stadium attendance will improve. Pakistan is still a passionate cricketing country.
 
Pakistan is not a cricket crazy country like India or Bangladesh. Interest in cricket in Pak is less than that of India and Bangladesh. Even when cricket was normal thing in Pak in 2000's, the stadiums were not full. So this is the best you are gonna get.

Indians are honestly next level crazy.
I’ve seen Indians following the ranji trophy like it’s a world cup final.

But that isn’t to say Pakistan is not a cricket crazy country. We’re just lazy. We’d rather watch the match in the comfort of our homes with our AC on than in the hot weather.

Also, we don’t have many world class players, Babar being the only one so that makes it less reasonable for a Pakistani to go to the stadium
 
It's also fatigue. Lahore and Karachi has seen a lot of cricket recently.
 
Keep getting videos from franchises of players urging fans to come to the stadium.
 
Keep getting videos from franchises of players urging fans to come to the stadium.

You dont understand the ground realities. The common man is waiting four and a half hours on average to even enter the ground to watch a three hour match through all the security checkpoints. I'd give up if i even had to wait an hour.
 
You dont understand the ground realities. The common man is waiting four and a half hours on average to even enter the ground to watch a three hour match through all the security checkpoints. I'd give up if i even had to wait an hour.

This is a fair point and something mentioned by many.

Authorities will say they are doing their job, PCB will say checks are needed, fans will say it's overkill.
 
Crowd looks good right now, KK making in roads - great noise, makes the watching experience on tv good.
 
It's unrealistic to expect good crowd all the time in PSL if matches are in same cities for continuous days. And for those giving example of IPL crowd, there matches are played at each city after a gap of 6-7 days which is adequate to regenerate interest and crowd in those specific cities.
 
The stands you have pointed are completely full on the TV. Not sure what exactly were you trying to prove here.

I just shared the pics man, I am not making things up lol. Please calm down. Not trying to degrade number 1 league with stream pics. I am sure the pics wont affect the ground reality. Spread love bro
 
Last edited:
Every match in the PSL has been 100x better than every match played in the UAE.

Not all matches were sellouts. True.

But all matches had 100x more attendance than the UAE ones. And electric crowds.

And today is a sellout, jam-packed.
 
Even the 'poor' days in the PSL have been 100x more interesting and well attended than UAE grounds.
 
I just shared the pics man, I am not making things up lol. Please calm down. Not trying to degrade number 1 league with stream pics. I am sure the pics wont affect the ground reality. Spread love bro

By the way where are you from Pakistan? As your venue states just pakistan with a small p.
 
Last edited:
Karachi was amazing today, hopefully Lahore also turns up
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brilliant atmosphere for an excellent match at the NSK today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSLV?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSLV</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKvQG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKvQG</a> <a href="https://t.co/jAwMui0Cii">pic.twitter.com/jAwMui0Cii</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1231563266675134466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Last edited:
Haha, I see what you did there :) Enjoy man. Whatever keeps you happy. Come on PM if you want to know more

Lol! No did nothing like what you are thinking. Thanks for the info bro.
 
Todays match in lahore 70% full. Being a sunday and a home match dissapointing turnout. Something is defo wrong behind the scenes. Be it ticket prices or management. Whatever it is, needs to be sorted asap
 
This is a fair point and something mentioned by many.

Authorities will say they are doing their job, PCB will say checks are needed, fans will say it's overkill.

No one can be blamed. PCB has their hands tied. They have atleast done well to get cricket back in Pakistan. We cannot afford even a minor incident to occur, as it will undo all the hard work. As we know already the bigger cricket boards are still skeptical about the security situation.
 
Just takes a while for crowd to build it seems, perhaps due to the checks taking place at security? Also heard road traffic has been bad at start times (early evening).

Today’s games have had great atmosphere as did yesterday’s, encouraging for the PSL and it’s intensity, no longer has an exhibition feel...players look like they can feel the pressure.
 
Look, clearly the stringent security checks are an issue. PCB could do more to have selected and vetted food vendors very near the grounds. Also, ticket prices may have to be relaxed ALOT for weekdays. I think an issue the guys haven't picked up on as well is oversaturation in Lahore and Karachi. Once InshAllah the PSL can move to a truer home-away system I.e. 5 league matches plus one elimination match, it'll mean fewer tickets and hopefully higher demand.

I think next year InshAllah we'll see the Arbab Niazi in Peshawar get atleast 5 games, Multan get 5 games and Quetta play in somewhere like Faislabad, until the security situation at Quetta betters
 
50% full, 75% full is not good enough really. The stadiums should be completely sold-out, especially given that this is the first full PSL in Pakistan.

Why aren't the stadiums full? Who is to blame?

Honestly, why should it be 100% full.... Give people time....

I live in India and don't go to stadiums now, it's not worth it, I prefer watching in a sports bar or at home with friends n family....

Be happy, PSL is back in Pakistan and let fans enjoy it wherever they can!!!!!
 
Really enjoying watching with the bigger crowds, kudos to all those attending, today’s games feel like spectacles - you can hear it even in the interviews just now, much more edge to the games.

Good stuff Pakistan, hopefully sort out any trivial issues that can make fan access easier 👍
 
Whether you support LQ or not - great atmosphere here at GSL tonight - really enjoying the noise and enthusiasm
 
From PCB release

The PCB is encouraged with the response of ticket sales in Rawalpindi and Multan, and expects the two stadia to be filled to their capacities in the 11 matches shared between these two new venues of HBL PSL.
 
From PCB release

The PCB is encouraged with the response of ticket sales in Rawalpindi and Multan, and expects the two stadia to be filled to their capacities in the 11 matches shared between these two new venues of HBL PSL.

Have we got official attendance numbers for every match?
I would like to have them for these first 4 days.
 
50% full, 75% full is not good enough really. The stadiums should be completely sold-out, especially given that this is the first full PSL in Pakistan.

Why aren't the stadiums full? Who is to blame?

High ticket prices (should be max 1000Rs)
Tickets distribution is pathetic (TCS centers do not give more than two on one ID)
No parking space near stadium
Cannot leave or re-enter stadium
No food arrangements (they don't even allow to take food items inside)
It takes 4 hours from home to your seat
 
High ticket prices (should be max 1000Rs)
Tickets distribution is pathetic (TCS centers do not give more than two on one ID)
No parking space near stadium
Cannot leave or re-enter stadium
No food arrangements (they don't even allow to take food items inside)
It takes 4 hours from home to your seat

No wonder it is is such turn off for many people going to stadium
 
Players expecting packed stadiums in Multan and Rawalpindi

• “I am sure Multan fans will come in big numbers to support their favourite team,” says Shahid Afridi.

• “I am keen to play in front of Multan’s home crowd as the support for the Sultans would be great at the venue,” says Shan Masood.

• “For the first time HBL PSL matches are being staged in Rawalpindi, I am sure, the stadium will be packed to capacity,” says Faheem Ashraf.

• “Will try to entertain spectators through my aggressive batting,” says Asif Ali.

Karachi, 23 February 2020:

Multan and Rawalpindi take centre stage as the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 moves to these two cities. Multan Sultans host Peshawar Zalmi at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday and Islamabad United take on Quetta Gladiators at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday; these two matches will mark the first instance of these two cities hosting the HBL PSL.

A total of 11 matches will be shared between the two cities with Multan Cricket Stadium set to host three; Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will stage eight matches. Batsmen and bowlers from both home and away sides are excited to take their guards and mark their runs ups at the two venues.

The stadium in Multan has so far hosted five Tests and seven ODIs. The first-ever match at the venue was played in August 2001; Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 264 runs in the longest format of the game.

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has so far staged 10 Tests and 23 ODIs. The first international match here was an ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka which the hosts won by 117 runs.

Both venues are yet to stage a T20I; however they have played host to multiple National T20 tournaments.

Pakistan stars representing the two home sides Multan Sultans (Shahid Afridi and Shan Masood) and Islamabad United (Faheem Ashraf and Asif Ali) have their hopes pinned on full attendances at both venues for what should be an incredible celebration of cricket in the cricket-mad cities.

Multan Sultans all-rounder Shahid Afridi said: “Multan Sultans will play their HBL PSL matches for the first time in front of their home crowd. I am hopeful of seeing a full stadium as Multan fans are passionate about the game. I am focusing on a great all-round performance in the tournament. I hope to entertain the Multan fans both with my batting and leg-spin bowling.”

Multan Sultan captain Shan Masood said: “HBL PSL coming to Pakistan in its entirety is a big moment for all of us. What makes this occasion even better is that we are not confined to Karachi and Lahore anymore, matches being staged in Multan and Rawalpindi is a great development indeed.

“I am keen to play in front of Multan’s home crowd as the support for the Sultans would be great at the venue. There is a galaxy of local and international stars at the HBL PSL, I am sure people of Multan will turn-up in big numbers for the three games.”

Islamabad United all-rounder Faheem Ashraf said: “I was not in the playing eleven in the Test against Bangladesh at the Pindi Cricket Stadium yet I thoroughly enjoyed the passion of the cricket fans from the boundary line who had thronged the stadium. Those were unforgettable moments for me.

“For the first time HBL PSL matches are being staged in Rawalpindi, I am sure, the stadium will be packed to capacity; all eight matches I feel should be full houses.”

Islamabad United batsman Asif Ali said: “Pindi Cricket Stadium is Islamabad United’s home ground. I intend to entertain the fans here with some big hits. My wish would be to win games for my team at our home ground and give the fans their money’s worth by putting in some big performances that not only entertain but also get us over the line.”

HBL PSL 2020 would be staged in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan from 20 February to 22 March, the tournament final will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
 
Like I said Multan and others will be full. Karachi and Lahore have suffered a lot of cricket fatigue of late.even tho they were full 80 percent.
 
High ticket prices (should be max 1000Rs)
Tickets distribution is pathetic (TCS centers do not give more than two on one ID)
No parking space near stadium
Cannot leave or re-enter stadium
No food arrangements (they don't even allow to take food items inside)
It takes 4 hours from home to your seat

Only first season of PSL in Pakistan, some of these things should improve with time. No pain, no gain.
 
Back
Top