PSL franchises align with ban on surrogate advertising

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises are ready to break ties with surrogate advertising, and it has been clarified in the Governing Council meeting that PCB themselves should not have such sponsor in any series.

According to details, the Governing Council meeting of the PSL took place on Tuesday under the supervision of Zaka Ashraf, head of the PCB Management Committee, at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.  Representatives of all six franchises and board officials participated in it. 

Sources revealed that all teams have accepted the restriction on surrogate advertising. However, they asked PCB to also not have any sponsor in any upcoming series.

Detailed discussions also took place on hosting the next edition of PSL in the UAE or in Pakistan. Some franchises and board officials showed interest to hold the PSL in UAE due to elections in the country. 

Interesting situations arose during the meeting when franchises and the board tried to shift the responsibility of taking the league outside the country onto each other. Discussions also took place on expenses and security matters. 

A letter was written to the Ministry of Interior expressing consensus in this regard. After that, an assessment will be made of additional expenses. Some officials also expressed concern that delay might lead to a clash with the IPL schedule, making it difficult to attract big players. However, the board assured that such a situation would not arise.

It was also discussed that if the league is to be held in Pakistan, matches should be organized at fewer venues instead of four, to make security arrangements easier. A final decision will be made based on government directives.

In PSL 8, a large number of free tickets were distributed. A franchise owner told the board that if this continues, the board should buy the tickets first so that we do not incur losses. An agreement was reached in the meeting to hold the PSL draft on December 14 in Lahore. PSL franchises urged the board to expedite the sale of media rights, and a bids committee was also formed in this regard.