PCB announces additional payment structure for PSL’s foreign players

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled plans to provide an additional USD 100,000 to six high-profile foreign players participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), drawing from a special fund that has accumulated to USD 1 million.

This unprecedented move comes as PSL-10 prepares to compete directly with the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the first time, with both tournaments overlapping in their schedules.

The PSL is scheduled from April 17 to May 22, while the IPL runs from March 21 to the end of May. A PSL official revealed that the board had initially set a maximum base price of USD 200,000 for franchises to pay overseas players. “David Warner, for example, came onboard for a fee of USD 300,000, and 100,000 of this will be paid to him by the PCB from the special fund,” the official explained.

The special fund was established when the PSL governing council decided to allocate USD 500,000 annually for elite players’ salaries once the central pool’s net broadcast revenue reached 3 billion rupees. With last year’s allocation unused, the fund has now doubled to USD 1 million. Several prominent players who went unsold in the IPL auction have joined PSL 10, including David Warner, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Finn Allen, Matthew Short, Sean Abbott, Nahid Rana, Liton Das, Michael Bracewell, Russie van der Dussen and Bosch.

This development marks a significant shift in PSL’s payment structure, previously seeing its highest payments to Kieron Pollard (USD 250,000) and AB de Villiers (USD 230,000). The move demonstrates PCB’s commitment to attracting and retaining top international talent for the league’s tenth edition.