The PSL gets bigger each year, but is it any better?

So it is that time of the year again. The fourth edition of  Pakistan Super League (PSL) commences tonight at the Dubai Cricket Stadium with what promises to be a glittering opening ceremony and the match between reigning champions Islamabad United and three-time wooden spoon holders, Lahore Qalandars.

Rest assured, for next one month, almost the entire nation will be glued to their TV screens to watch the T20 festival, perhaps much to the chagrin of political talk-show hosts who won’t be too happy to see their declining ratings.

For Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the fourth edition of the tournament holds immense significance as they continue working towards bringing back international cricket to Pakistan.

The last two editions have seen a total of three matches and a smattering of players visit Pakistan. However, this time with eight matches planned in the country and most of the foreign players showing their willingness to come to Pakistan, it appears that the dream of bringing international cricket back to the Pakistani soil might be closer to realisation, one of the original goals of the PSL.

But this is where things get a little complicated.

Some detractors of the league have been questioning that while immensely popular, the PSL has not grown along the same trajectory that the PCB had originally conceived.

Last year the PCB announced that the brand value of PSL is $230m, it pales into comparison with the ten-year-old Indian Premier League which is currently valued at $6 billion.

Another complaint about PSL is its flawed marketing and subsequently, low attendance in games. The last three years have repeatedly seen issues of a meagre crowd during matches and while opening ceremony and the knockout games are almost always sold out, weekday games are attended by no more than a few hundred people.

When asked this question, one PCB official spoke to Geo.TV on condition of anonymity and said that the board has taken steps to ensure crowds will fill in the stadium. He also emphasized the opening ceremony is sold out and there’s going to be a significant improvement from the last three events.

Another senior official, part of PSL organising team, chose to focus on the overall gains by the league in three years. Speaking to Geo.TV on condition of anonymity, he said that holding eight matches in Pakistan is a major achievement.

“Eight matches in Pakistan is huge. It puts our capability as an organization to a proper test, esp with two games in two cities on the same day. All six teams will be playing in Pakistan and that means roughly 30 foreign players touring Pakistan. Small but very meaningful step,” he said.

Defending the growth of the league, the official said that the sale of commercial rights including title sponsorship, broadcast rights and various other sponsorships have gone really well,  pointing towards the sale of broadcast rights in December 2018 which went for $36m.

Similar optimism was shown by Hassan Cheema, manager of Islamabad United, the two-time champions of the PSL. When asked about the improvements seen in PSL over the last three year, Cheema said that things have been going smoothly.

“The big difference from, say, season 1 is how streamlined and professional teams are, and how little they're dependent on PCB for logistics, etc.”

Going forward, he expressed his good wishes for PCB in attracting more crowd and said that with more matches being played in Pakistan, it promises a good future for the league.

“I hope this trend continues. The long term aim must be to have as much of the tournament in Pakistan as possible,” he said.

It has to be said that the gradual improvement of security situation in the country has definitely helped PCB to hold more matches in the country and made it easier for franchises to convince their foreign signings to play in Pakistan.

Easily the biggest drawcard in T20 cricket, AB de Villiers is one of those names who has not only signed up to be part of the PSL for the first time, he has also promised to visit Pakistan. Another major signing is the Kiwi All-rounder Corey Anderson who has been picked up by Lahore Qalandars as well.

Disgraced Australian player and former captain Steve Smith was also part of the draft but later on, due to injury, he had to pull out of the tournament.

Such signings show that there’s growing confidence in the league among foreign players and they will over the time won’t be so hesitant in visiting the country. But it has to be said that one of the biggest opportunities for the PSL is to lure Indian players to be part of the league.

Currently, Indian Premier League is easily the most lucrative T20 league in the world by a longshot but the political situation between the two neighbours means that Pakistani players haven’t participated in IPL since its inaugural season nor any Indian player has ever participated in PSL.

This is a huge void which PSL organisers can try and fill and with the current PCB management, under the leadership of Ehsan Mani and Wasim Khan, there’s hope that they will take some confidence-building measures to their Indian counterparts.

Perhaps it is too much to expect the two national teams to play each other on a bilateral basis, PSL, however, does provide that potential for the two boards to not only come closer, but it will also enable the league to take the jump to next level in its growth.

Ali Abbas is based in Madrid and contributes on politics, media, culture, history and sports.