General Cricket Discussion


I’m having mixed thoughts over this.

On one hand I think it’s viable and a lot more feasible to try and compete against one league than the ending stages of multiple other leagues in their current window. Some of the players that sign up for the IPL don’t/wouldn’t play in the PSL either. There’s plenty of others they could sign up to have a decent quality of overseas players and unlike in their current window there will only be one international series occurring at best in the IPL window. The concerns over Ramadan affecting the current tournament(s) also make it a good choice.

On the other hand… as much as they claim that they want to co-exist with the IPL and not compete… you are competing with it as an entertainment product. The number of cricket fans is finite. I do think it’s refreshing that a league is intending to focus fully on it’s core, local fanbase rather than pander to everyone out there (and Pakistan can afford to do the former easily) but they’ll have to accept that they wouldn’t have as much overseas viewership if they did move. There’s also the small matter of reliably acquiring overseas players. County sides already grumble and demand compensation for their players skipping out on the season for IPL, can the PSL afford that by proxy for even it’s fringe players? I’m not sure why there’s talks of the playoffs being played in the UK either, surely you would want your best games at home?
 
It will bring Finn Allen and Kane Williamson with the direct signing. The players unsold and on the bench will come in the PSL due to the direct signing

This isn’t as simple as it sounds.

I can see a case for unsold players that wanted to play in the IPL but couldn’t get a deal being easily signed. However… the bench players of the IPL is a more complex case.

If the PSL’s draft occurs before the IPL auction you can get a wider selection of players if they’re allowed to also put up their names for the IPL. However you run the risk of those players skipping out if they get an IPL deal that’s lucrative or one where they can get game-time. If the PSL has an obligation that those who enter their draft can’t sign up for the auction then I’m not sure how many players would signup even if they know they’re unlikely to get an IPL deal. Keep the draft after the IPL auction and you may get players that you know will likely stick around but you’re also no longer having potential access to the bench players of the IPL.

This is ignoring the possibility of the BCCI being petty and raising the salary caps of all teams so that even the least paid overseas pros earn the same as some of the top paid PSL overseas pros just because they can afford to. The PSL’s biggest advantage would be it’s shorter duration and lesser number of games and they would have to use that as leverage to sign overseas names.
 
This is ignoring the possibility of the BCCI being petty and raising the salary caps of all teams so that even the least paid overseas pros earn the same as some of the top paid PSL overseas pros just because they can afford to. The PSL’s biggest advantage would be it’s shorter duration and lesser number of games and they would have to use that as leverage to sign overseas names
And I could see that players being tired and not wanting to play in IPL due to its extremely long duration and sign for the PSL some more injury prone players like archer
 
Just imagining the stuff the BCCI and the IPL franchise or other Indian corporate giants could indulge in out of their hatred for Pakistan

- Pay top dollar to unsold players in the IPL or the top players in the world to join the IPL dugouts even if they weren't selected to play in the IPL

- Shift the ILT20, SAT20 to the IPL window where the unsold Foreign players get picked to participate in those leagues at the same time

- Buy out teams from the County T20 blast and get them to buy the unsold foreign players in the IPL

- Offer the unsold foreign players in the IPL lucrative commentary, expert analysis gigs in India

- BCCI announces any unsold foreign players in the IPL who decide to participate in a competing T20 league during the IPL season will be barred from future IPL auctions and from participating in the Indian Cricketing eco system
 
And I could see that players being tired and not wanting to play in IPL due to its extremely long duration and sign for the PSL some more injury prone players like archer

An unfit Jofra Archer who wouldn’t even be available for the first season was signed by Mumbai Indians for a million dollars which yet again was seen as a bargain at that time considering his value if fit. That’s nearly 4-5 times the maximum money earned by an overseas player in the PSL as per Cricinfo till now.

The current talk there was the allowance of certain players to be exempted from the salary cap at around 300K USD plus which would still be less than half of what an unfit and unavailable Archer earned. Even accounting for the increased game time, a player on a million dollar contract would earn 70k USD per game in the IPL today and 30k USD per game in the PSL on a 300K contract accounting for just group stage games. An injury prone player would want to maximise their earnings per game rather than trying to limit their playing time.
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Just imagining the stuff the BCCI and the IPL franchise or other Indian corporate giants could indulge in out of their hatred for Pakistan

- Pay top dollar to unsold players in the IPL or the top players in the world to join the IPL dugouts even if they weren't selected to play in the IPL

- Shift the ILT20, SAT20 to the IPL window where the unsold Foreign players get picked to participate in those leagues at the same time

- Buy out teams from the County T20 blast and get them to buy the unsold foreign players in the IPL

- Offer the unsold foreign players in the IPL lucrative commentary, expert analysis gigs in India

- BCCI announces any unsold foreign players in the IPL who decide to participate in a competing T20 league during the IPL season will be barred from future IPL auctions and from participating in the Indian Cricketing eco system

And there it is, the troll finally comes out.

None of these are even remotely likely to happen, what a delusional post.
 
I actually don't think it's a bad idea. For one, having more leagues overlap might mean there's more room in the calendar for international cricket. Which is a good thing in my opinion.

Sure, they are going to miss out on a lot of overseas players but there's plenty of high quality players not at the IPL. Ultimately, while you want that overseas star power, it's your domestic players that should be the real stars. The PSL has definitely expanded that talent pool and star potential. Some teams certainly seem to put a high value on scouting players.

The play-offs in England thing is kind of stupid. We do have a double bank-holiday at the end of May, so there could be a Friday to Tuesday window, which could suit several games. It would be odd having your finals in another country.
 
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An unfit Jofra Archer who wouldn’t even be available for the first season was signed by Mumbai Indians for a million dollars which yet again was seen as a bargain at that time considering his value if fit. That’s nearly 4-5 times the maximum money earned by an overseas player in the PSL as per Cricinfo till now.

The current talk there was the allowance of certain players to be exempted from the salary cap at around 300K USD plus which would still be less than half of what an unfit and unavailable Archer earned. Even accounting for the increased game time, a player on a million dollar contract would earn 70k USD per game in the IPL today and 30k USD per game in the PSL on a 300K contract accounting for just group stage games. An injury prone player would want to maximise their earnings per game rather than trying to limit their playing time.
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And there it is, the troll finally comes out.

None of these are even remotely likely to happen, what a delusional post.
the BCCI will do everything in their hate for the PCB
 
Pakistan can't able to find any worthy opponents during IPL window, so it is better to Play PSL during that time and use full 2 months...
 

I’m having mixed thoughts over this.

On one hand I think it’s viable and a lot more feasible to try and compete against one league than the ending stages of multiple other leagues in their current window. Some of the players that sign up for the IPL don’t/wouldn’t play in the PSL either. There’s plenty of others they could sign up to have a decent quality of overseas players and unlike in their current window there will only be one international series occurring at best in the IPL window. The concerns over Ramadan affecting the current tournament(s) also make it a good choice.

On the other hand… as much as they claim that they want to co-exist with the IPL and not compete… you are competing with it as an entertainment product. The number of cricket fans is finite. I do think it’s refreshing that a league is intending to focus fully on it’s core, local fanbase rather than pander to everyone out there (and Pakistan can afford to do the former easily) but they’ll have to accept that they wouldn’t have as much overseas viewership if they did move. There’s also the small matter of reliably acquiring overseas players. County sides already grumble and demand compensation for their players skipping out on the season for IPL, can the PSL afford that by proxy for even it’s fringe players? I’m not sure why there’s talks of the playoffs being played in the UK either, surely you would want your best games at home?

I actually don't think it's a bad idea. For one, having more leagues overlap might mean there's more room in the calendar for international cricket. Which is a good thing in my opinion.

Sure, they are going to miss out on a lot of overseas players but there's plenty of high quality players not at the IPL. Ultimately, while you want that overseas star power, it's your domestic players that should be the real stars. The PSL has definitely expanded that talent pool and star potential. Some teams certainly seem to put a high value on scouting players.

The play-offs in England thing is kind of stupid. We do have a double bank-holiday at the end of May, so there could be a Friday to Tuesday window, which could suit several games. It would be odd having your finals in another country.
My two cents.
At its core it’s not a bad idea. Firstly, the PSL’s appeal to the masses is because they can see their favourite players, and their home towns, compete against each other, with the glitter and glamour of a franchise league differentiating it from the National T20 Cup. Obviously overseas players are a big part of that glitter and glamour, but, apart from cricket nerds, nobody really cares about how many big names there are. The local players are the main attractions, and the PSL has seen enough success to have proven this beyond doubt over the last 9 seasons. The overseas players that do come are still of good quality, and in fact the relative dearth of big names has allowed opportunities for less renowned players, like Harry Brook, Dawid Malan, Jofra Archer and Tim David, to shine at the PSL before being considered by the IPL or their national team. Some of them, like David Wiese, have become proper cult heroes to the masses.
And Islamabad United just won the PSL by not having a single player picked in the IPL, either in the auction or as a replacement. So it’s doable. Yes, some players will be missed, but some others will also become available, especially with the bump in salary caps. And most importantly, the fact that the masses and "casual fans" can just enjoy the whole tournament and tune in regardless of who’s winning will always ensure PSL’s popularity. The overseas audience can be disregarded completely, there’s 200 million people in the domestic market, and cricket has a crushing monopoly over other sports.
Secondly, avoiding a clash with the month of Ramzan is a big consideration. It starts 10 days earlier each year, so it would clash with the winter window for the next decade. Not only does it nullify ticket sales for games that start before sunset, but impacts commercial factors as well. Brands plan ahead for two windows in the year : PSL and Ramzan. So it’s a wise move to avoid it.

2025 CT window: Feb/March
2026 T20WC window: Feb/Mar
2027 WC window: Oct/Nov
2028 WC window: likely Oct/Nov
2029 CT window: Feb/Mar
2030 T20WC window: likely June/July
2031 WC window: likely Feb/Mar

PSL is in an impossible spot to maintain a single window throughout the current FTP cycle. You chuck in a curve-ball like the CLT20 being discussed again, most likely for a September slot, then you realise that this is the best move.
 

I think this is a good idea personally: moving more T20 leagues into specific windows in the calendar should reduce the issue of them dominating year round. It'll work particularly well for the IPL and PSL where the supermajority of players have absolutely no overlap - but then as you end up with a different crop of overseas stars in each league, they'll both retain very strong and separate identities.

The only thing you'd have to make sure of would be trying to avoid the games starting at the exact same times of day
 
2025 CT window: Feb/March
2026 T20WC window: Feb/Mar
2027 WC window: Oct/Nov
2028 WC window: likely Oct/Nov
2029 CT window: Feb/Mar
2030 T20WC window: likely June/July
2031 WC window: likely Feb/Mar

PSL is in an impossible spot to maintain a single window throughout the current FTP cycle. You chuck in a curve-ball like the CLT20 being discussed again, most likely for a September slot, then you realise that this is the best move.
Dawg...

Screenshot_20240505-172458.png

 
I think this is a good idea personally: moving more T20 leagues into specific windows in the calendar should reduce the issue of them dominating year round. It'll work particularly well for the IPL and PSL where the supermajority of players have absolutely no overlap - but then as you end up with a different crop of overseas stars in each league, they'll both retain very strong and separate identities.

The only thing you'd have to make sure of would be trying to avoid the games starting at the exact same times of day
And if most of these players play in the PSL, i’d be ecstatic

 

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