PCB’s shortcomings compounded franchises' problems: Sethi

LAHORE: Former Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Najam Sethi said on Wednesday that only rise in the value of dollar was not enough to create problems for PSL franchises but PCB developed some shortcomings to further complicate their relationship with them.

In an interview to a group of journalists here, the former PCB chairman said that the owners of PSL franchises are business personalities and they must have read it before signing the agreement. “PSL owners had asked us about the requirements to invest in the league and how much profit they would have. There were no issues with franchises during my term in office,” he said.

Sethi said that the problem is that the dollar has become more expensive against the rupee which has increased the burden on the franchises. “The problems with the franchises have also increased due to some shortcomings of the PCB. The board should come up with a solution soon. The PSL teams should not have suffered any loss and when the stands of the stadium are filled with spectators in one or two years, there will automatically be solution to these problems," he said.

Sethi said that when PSL was initiated there were big problems as they were then told that several unsuccessful attempts were made in its start. “We were told that this project will not be completed and there is a risk of huge loss. Some of the PCB officials said that they did not have sufficient resources to initiate the PSL. But some of the officials were determined to start it. Hosting it in the UAE was another big challenge with lots of problems. Then a timeframe was given for the tournament. But then we were told that even there is no window to stage this event and it took a long time to overcome the issues.

“Sometimes it seemed to me that no one wanted the league to be held. There were also problems in TV rights. It was a difficult journey for us but we solved all the problems. We made PSL an international brand and I am very happy that now the whole event is taking place in Pakistan for which the board should be given credit but there still are questions about the quality," he said.