PCB needs to deal better with PSL franchises: Wasim Khan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Wasim Khan, while addressing a press conference in Karachi, admitted that the board needs improvement in addressing concerns of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises.

The PCB and the HBL PSL franchises had come face to face numerous times in recent months. The board’s reluctance to raise the amount of revenue shared had left franchise owners unhappy. As a result, franchises refrained from fulfilling their financial obligations until their demands were met.

When Cricket Pakistan posed a question on the same matter, Wasim said that the board needs to learn from the mistakes they made this year with regards to dealing with the franchise owners.

“The process we have followed is something we need to learn from, because we need to be better and quicker moving forward,” said Wasim. “This year has not been acceptable. We have been too slow in providing details about the revenue share to the franchise owners. They are very big investors in the game in Pakistan. We respect them. We are thankful that they are involved in Pakistan cricket.”

“Both sides need to be better and it is something we are talking about with each other,” he added.

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The PCB Chief Executive also insisted that the matters related to franchise fees will be settled soon.

“We have a very positive relationship with the PSL franchises. They will not agree with everything. We don’t agree on everything either. It is part and parcel of it,” he said. “We are pretty much there in terms of the fees. We are still waiting for one or two outstanding payments to us, in order to reveal the revenue share for the franchise owners. We are nearly there now.”

Wasim also revealed that the board will soon be announcing the Project Executive for the upcoming season of PSL.

“In the next two or three days we will be announcing the name of the PSL Project Executive,” he said.

An advertisement for the position of Project Executive was issued in October with the application deadline set for November 11.

According to sources, many applications were received, however, PSL franchise Islamabad United’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Shoaib Naveed has emerged as the favourite for the position. He has also served as the project manager for the PSL from 2014 to 2016 and as the Manager for Marketing and Sales in the PCB.