High demand prompts PCB to consider increasing PSL teams to ten

Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) management committee chairman, Najam Sethi, has stated that the number of teams in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) can be increased to ten due to high demand. 

Sethi acknowledged that the PCB and the franchises must be on the same page regarding the payment of the Rs500 million bill issued by the Punjab government for security and lighting during PSL 8. 

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"PSL can't take place without the franchises. Franchises and PCB should be on the same page whenever there is an issue. If there are any disagreements, the brand will be affected. To be on the same page, sometimes the PCB should compromise, while sometimes the franchises should back off. In the larger interest, both should compromise," Sethi said in an interview with a local media news channel.

"There is immense pressure to increase the number of teams in PSL, but unfortunately, Ehsan Mani and Ramiz Raja agreed with the franchises that only six teams will play in the next two years. However, it was an eight-team project. We have to convince the franchises to include two more teams. No one will lose anything; if a franchise suffers a loss, the PCB will take responsibility. But there is a high demand to include two more teams, and it will be more successful with many people showing interest in being part of it. Let me tell you, even if there were ten teams now, all of them would be sold due to the high demand." he said.

Sethi is now attempting to convince the franchises to include two more teams in the tournament. The PSL originally had five franchises, but a sixth team, Multan Sultans, was added after Sethi announced it.