PCB Having Second Thoughts On Staging Remaining Four Games Of PSL [Post #73]

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Relations between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have soured after three teams failed to fulfil their financial and sponsorship obligations with the board.

The six franchise owners of the league had sent a strongly-worded email to the PCB after it called off a scheduled governing council meeting of the PSL on July 28 as the Chairman and CEO of the board left for vacations to the UK.

But instead of adopting a conciliatory tone, PSL project executive Shoaib Naved in his reply said that in future three franchises who had constantly failed to fulfil their financial and other obligations would not be part of the governing council or any discussions until they cleared their dues.

“Shoaib Naved made it clear that the board has decided why should the franchises who had kept their financial matters with the board up to date suffer because of the defaulting franchises,” a reliable source in the board said.

He said the board has been constantly reminding the franchises to submit all the details of their sponsorship and other deals and fulfil their financial obligations to the board.

The source also said that some of the franchises have been pushing the board to ensure payment of their share of the PSL revenues.

“The PCB has taken the stance that until the franchises don’t submit all details asked for as per contractual obligations they can’t get their shares plus defaulting franchises have to first clear their dues and give all sponsorship details before things can move ahead,” the source said.

The PCB and some of the franchises have already been at loggerheads over the staging of the remaining four play-off matches of PSL 5 which had to be stopped in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the board has indicated that it will suffer great losses by staging these four matches, the teams who have made the knockout stage are insisting the matches must be played to decide the winner.

The board, on the other hand, is keen to declare the winner based on the points table following the completion of the league stage of the tournament.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...r-contractual-obligations/article32240114.ece

 

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The six franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to revise the financial and ownership model of the tournament, arguing it is causing losses to them but benefitting the PCB.

The franchises made the demand in a joint letter to the PCB. The relations between them strained after PCB excluded three franchises — Karachi, Lahore and Multan — from the negotiating table for defaulting on payments.

According to unofficial figures for the fifth edition of the PSL, which was postponed after league-stage matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic, franchises are expected to get around 20 to 22 crores each as their share from the earnings.

The franchises pointed out that they are spending far more than what they earn. They insisted that in future only the PCB Chairman or the CEO Wasim Khan should address future meetings between the franchises and the board.

The franchises had earlier sent a strongly worded email to the PCB after the last-minute cancelation of the governing council meeting which was scheduled for July 28.

The PCB had responded by saying that those franchises that have fulfilled their complete financial obligations will be called to discuss the issues.

The six franchises also claimed in their mail that the response of the board to their problems has been unprofessional.

The PCB remains uncertain whether to hold the remaining four matches of the PSL-5 or announce the winner on the basis of points table position after the completion of the league matches.

Apparently PCB stands to lose around three to four crores in holding the remaining four games including the final.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...cricket-board-coronavirus/article32282405.ece

 

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The Pakistan Cricket Board acknowledged hard work of its ground staff on Friday when it announced financial rewards for those who worked tirelessly during the fifth edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League.

As many as 63 ground staff – across Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi – will receive a 50 per cent bonus on their salaries for the month of August. In addition, the board will also provide reward of PKR10,000 to five non-PCB employed daily wagers.

The PCB created history earlier this year when it hosted an entire edition of the HBL PSL in Pakistan for the first time ever before the playoffs and final were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

That the fans were treated with high-quality cricketing action and made their way to stadia all over the country was in part due to the effortless work of these 68 ground staff, who produced high-quality cricket pitches besides preparing immaculate outfields that resulted in riveting cricketing action. The crowd attendance at all four venues was a staggering 87 per cent.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer: “The ground staff have a thankless job. Their work is of the utmost importance in smooth execution of cricket matches so it is extremely important that their work is acknowledged and they are rewarded for their efforts.

“Our ground staff were outstanding during the HBL PSL earlier this year especially when they were confronted with adverse weather conditions. They worked with great dedication round the clock to deliver top-quality pitches and outfields, which produced some of the most exciting T20 matches.

“After a very long time, we are now looking to have all of our cricket back in the country and with the excellent work of these ground staff, I am sure our fans will be treated with top-quality cricketing action when top-flight cricket resumes in the country.”