PCB once again asks departments to sponsor provincial teams

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again asked the departments to sponsor and own a provincial cricket team, ‘The News’ learnt on Wednesday.

According to informed sources, the departments have received a letter from the PCB citing directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan that the departments come forward and sponsor a provincial cricket team in domestic competitions, while also providing financing to regional sides, under-16, Grade I, Grade II and inter-school events.

WAPDA, SBP, ZTBL, NBP, KRL, PIA and SNGPL have reportedly received the PCB letter. “The departments have been asked to respond in a week’s time and their response will then be conveyed to the Prime Minister,” he said. “However, some departments only received the letter after five days and now have only two days to respond.”

“The departments do not want to indulge in the administration of provincial and regional cricket teams as they consider that it is not their job and the PCB should itself take responsibility of it,” he added.

When contacted, the sports heads of some departments told ‘The News’ that they are taking inputs from their legal and financial teams before responding to the PCB letter. The departmental teams had been abolished as part of the PCB’s plans to revamp the domestic structure with a new format introduced on the instructions of PM Imran Khan.

A few meetings to discuss the issue of sponsorship were also held recently between the concerned departments and PCB officials, with the board trying to convince the departments to bear half of the expenditures of domestic cricket teams.

Around Rs 20 crore is stated to be the total expenditure of a provincial cricket team, apart from expanses of regional teams and events.