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Mohsin Naqvi’s PCB Planning To Launch PSL Sixes

Aakash Saini

Mohsin Naqvi [Source: AFP]Mohsin Naqvi [Source: AFP]

The Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to rival the Hong Kong Sixes tournament by launching a six-a-side competition of its own. The primary agenda of the proposed six-a-side tournament is to augment the PSL brand, as well as to increase the board’s revenue.

PSL chief executive Salman Naseer said that the tournament could be named ‘PSL Sixes’, and it will primarily be hosted in small towns of Pakistan during the off-season.

PCB planning to launch PSL subsidiary with PSL Sixes

As confirmed by PSL chief executive Salman Naseer, the PCB is planning to launch a six-a-side competition titled PSL Sixes. The league will pretty much rival the all-popular Hong Kong Sixes tournament.

Notably, the Hong Kong Sixes tournament was originated way back in 1992, and its matches last less than an hour. The high-speed six-hitting competition is also sanctioned by the ICC. 

Speaking about the planned PSL Sixes tournament, Salman Naseer said “Nothing is finalised, but there are some exciting plans, and one of them is a sixes tournament, called the PSL Sixes, which will be in the off-season.”

The PSL chief executive also added that PSL Sixes will primarily be hosted in smaller stadiums and smaller cities where the board has not been able to take the PSL. Naseer also promised that if authorized, the PSL Sixes will be “very exciting, entertaining and engaging” for fans in Pakistan.

He explained “We will look into the prospect of launching this tournament, and it will be very exciting, entertaining and engaging for the fans when it becomes a recurring feature. Maybe even going to the smaller stadiums and smaller cities, where we have not been able to take the PSL, and we know the fans are eager to watch cricket. So, a smaller event might be doable, which is what we are exploring.”

The concept of PSL Sixes certainly sounds intriguing, with the proposed tournament potentially offering fans a fast-paced and entertaining brand of cricket while helping the PCB expand the PSL’s footprint across smaller cities in Pakistan.

The planned subsidiary of the PSL will not only expand the league’s popularity across the country, but will also give the PCB an additional revenue stream through a compact, commercially viable cricketing spectacle.

However, PCB’s roadblock will be to accommodate the proposed league in an otherwise packed cricketing calendar. Moreover, with getting overseas players to play in the PSL Sixes will also prove challenging for the board in light of their demanding international commitments.

West Indies’ 6ixty and IPL Fan Park proves PCB’s proposal can work

In a bid to augment IPL’s popularity in India, the BCCI has previously experimented with the IPL Fan Parks, taking the tournament’s viewing experience to smaller cities and towns across the country.

Moreover, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has also launched a T10 league titled The 6ixty, a subsidiary to their annual CPL competition. 

These precedents could provide the PCB with a viable blueprint for turning PSL Sixes into a successful off-season competition while taking the PSL brand to a wider audience across Pakistan.