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There’s confidence and then there’s complete detachment from reality. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi seems to have drifted into the latter after claiming that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is on track to become the world’s top franchise competition ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
His comments came at a time when PSL 2026 is being staged under desperate circumstances. Matches are being played behind closed doors at just two venues because of a fuel crisis in the country. Compare that to the IPL, which is being held across 12 cities, packed stadiums and is the major attraction globally.
How IPL bullies PSL
Even on pure numbers, the gap isn’t just big, it’s embarrassing. The IPL’s media rights are valued at over $6 billion, while PSL’s deal sits at around $93 million. That is almost a 65 times difference. Annual revenues say the exact truth as well. IPL comfortably crosses the $1 billion mark every season, whereas PSL operates in the $50–60 million range. The overall valuation gap is even wider, with IPL touching roughly $18.5 billion and PSL hovering around $260 million.
“The PSL has now become the best market for investment. The time is not far when the PSL will become the world’s number one league,” Naqvi said during a PCB Board of Governors meeting.
For starters, PSL is still struggling with credibility issues this season. Lahore Qalandars were docked five runs in a match after Fakhar Zaman was found guilty of ball-tampering. He was handed a two-match ban, and even his appeal was rejected due to what officials described as “sufficient circumstantial evidence”.
Then came the off-field noise. Shaheen Afridi and Sikandar Raza were pulled up for bringing unauthorised visitors into the team hotel, with police terming it a breach. Naseem Shah was fined PKR 20 million for a social media post targeting a political figure.
The post PSL better than IPL? Mohsin Naqvi’s big talk doesn’t survive basic facts appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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