The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2021) is all set to resume in the UAE on Wednesday, June 9, after it suspended midway in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The second leg of the competition will also feature the likes of Faf du Plessis, Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, and several other T20 stars who were not part of the tournament in March. They had opted to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
However, IPL 2021 was also postponed midway in May after a string of COVID-positive cases were reported inside the bio-bubble. As a result, many players took the flight to UAE for the remainder of PSL.
Speaking on the IPL vs PSL debate, PCB CEO Wasim Khan feels that PSL would take some time to match the standards of the cash-rich IPL. He also highlighted the need to sign Global T20 superstars like AB de Villiers to enhance the standard of the tournament.
“Our target is to develop the ecosystem and the economy of PSL so that we can spend extra on players. We will only be able to do that once we see franchises making profits. Only then can we encourage them to start spending more money on the players themselves,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
“It isn’t a long process, and we are developing it every year. But the calibre of players is crucial too, and it is important we attract players like AB de Villiers who play in the IPL to the PSL,” he added.
De Villiers plied his trade for the Lahore Qalandars during PSL 2019. However, he opted out of the next two seasons. He recently featured for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2021.