Some Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise owners are seeking a reduction in the US$1.6 million base player salary purse, with concerns over the level of team expenditure raised at the league’s latest Council meeting, according to a report by Dawn.
The issue was put before the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at a meeting held in London last week under PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. No response to the proposal was given by Naqvi during the session.
Player spending comes under scrutiny
The salary allocation was increased after the PSL completed its first 10 editions, with each franchise receiving a US$1.6 million base purse under the auction system.
An additional US$200,000 can be made available for the direct signing of one eligible overseas player who did not feature in the preceding season, potentially taking a team’s total allocation to US$1.8 million.
Individual player limits are divided across four levels. The highest tier carries a ceiling of US$150,000, followed by US$80,000 for the second tier, US$40,000 for the third and US$21,500 for the fourth.
Franchise sales reshape the cost equation
The spending debate comes after three teams were sold this year at substantially different acquisition values from those paid by the league’s established ownership groups.
Rawalpindi commanded the highest price at Rs1.85 billion,(approx. US$ 6.7M) while Hyderabad was acquired for Rs1.75 billion (approx. US$ 6.3M). Multan Sultans, an existing PSL team that also changed hands, was sold for Rs2.45 billion (approx. US$ 8.8M).
The owners of the other five franchises reacquired their teams at considerably lower valuations. Against that backdrop, the new ownership groups are experiencing greater difficulty meeting expenditure commitments than those running the established franchises.
Financial issues extend beyond team costs
The league is also dealing with outstanding financial obligations involving some of its stakeholders. Payments owed to the PCB remain unsettled in certain cases, creating an additional financial issue for the Board alongside the concerns being raised by franchise owners.
For now, the proposed reduction in the player purse remains undecided after reportedly receiving no response from the PCB Chairman at the London Council meeting.
