Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has labeled Pakistan Super League as a “small domestic league”, putting an end to the PSL vs IPL debate. PSL 10, which comprises of IPL discards, is overlapping with the cash-rich Indian Premier League in what is a delusional effort by the PCB to portray their league as bigger than IPL. Despite many former cricketers deeming PSL 10 as bigger than IPL 2025, Latif begs to differ.
“It’s just tiny”
Speaking on Geo Podcast, Latif claimed that efforts were being made to show on screen that PSL was bigger than the IPL. He said that, however, PSL 10 was just a small domestic event compared to the IPL.
“IPL took the brand to greater heights. Even BBL, which doesn’t earn much, is stable nevertheless. PSL is just a small domestic event, that’s all. We’re just showing it as a big event on TV, but if you remove the camera lens, it is just tiny,” Latif said.
He further claimed that the BPL, SA20, The Hundred ILT20 have overtaken the PSL. He opined that PSL now occupied the sixth position in terms of popularity, with even CPL more famous than the discarded league.
“Bangladesh is paying more, so the players are headed there. There is The Hundred, SA20 and ILT20. These 4 leagues have overtaken PSL. Then, there is a separate league in the West Indies. So, Pakistan’s league, which used to be second best, is now in sixth position,” he added.
Why IPL is much better
IPL enjoys more attraction from all cricket boards and fans across the world. The lucrative deals offered to the players, the revenue earned from the tournament, the priority given to IPL over PSL, the ad revenues, and the star power outdoes PSL easily.
In 2023, former PCB chief Najam Sethi had claimed that 150 million people had watched PSL while only 130 million people watched the IPL digitally. Sadly, the IPL has outgrown the PSL since then and even now.
While the PCB had struggled with giving PSL frnachises their due revenue in 2024, the IPL was much more profitable. In fact, the official broadcaster of IPL 2025 is targeting a revenue of at least Rs 4500 crore in IPL 2025.
