Three of five established franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have expressed their desire to bolster the regional teams of their cities in the country’s domestic cricket.
Speaking during a recent interview to the local media, Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Executive Committee administrator Najam Sethi proposed the five franchises owners to buy the regional teams and sponsor them, with three of them agreeing.
According to him, Lahore Qalandars would be the sponsors for Lahore Region and documents were being prepared for the agreement. Islamabad Region would be backed by Islamabad United, and Quetta Gladiators would sponsor Quetta Region.
Meanwhile, Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi are still in talks with the board and are expected to say yes to the idea of sponsoring their respective regions, he added.
Sethi revealed that the PCB had been giving the regions 20 to 25 million rupees and with sponsors coming in this would rise to 50 million rupees, which would surely benefit these regions’ cricket.
“The franchise would also know that by supporting that particular city it will lure in the support of fans of that area for their teams in the PSL,” he pointed out.
"Using Rs20-25 million for establishments is not that difficult," he included. "Establishments know well that they can grow their PSL fan base by supporting territorial groups."
Sethi likewise clarified: “Our real motive is to bring the private sector into cricket, which together with the selected people of regional cricket, can run the show themselves.
“Surely, this will have a positive effect on the performance of regions.”
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