Launching attempts

Launching attempts

The PCB officially announced the launch of the Pakistan Super League in September 2009, however due to domestic security concerns plans were shelved. Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said the tournament "would be modeled on the franchise system similar to the IPL. We have had meetings with two international companies interested in the event and we are confident international companies will buy franchises in the Twenty20 league". A budget of Rs3.9 billion was approved to the PCB for the league, which included plans to build and upgrade 35 new stadiums in the country.[3] According to Sethi, the PSL will be the next biggest cricket league after the IPL. Pakistan is the second largest cricket market in terms of population.

In November 2012 Haroon Lorgat, former ICC chief executive, was hired by the Pakistan Cricket Board to set up the proposed Pakistan Super League, contributing at a strategic level to ensure the board was headed in the right direction. "It's not a long time from now to then but there is still a lot of planning and work has been done and a lot to be done but I can see that there is a lot of energy to get this league off the ground, "Haroon Lorgat said while at the PCB headquarters in Lahore.[5] The Pakistan Super League is also being used by the PCB as a stepping-stone for the revival of international cricket in Pakistan. In October 2012, a World XI side played two unofficial T20s against a combined Pakistan XI in Karachi. On 10 January 2013, the Pakistan Super League logo was officially unveiled to the public in an event organized by the PCB in Lahore. Top Pakistan cricketers including the PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and former ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat were among those who attended the event.