PCB to host Pakistan Premier league soon

After a successful completion of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20Cup in Rawalpindi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Zaka Ashraf, informed the cricket frenzied nation over their plans of organizing a first ever Pakistan Premier League in the not too distant future. The chairman shared his views after the final match between Karachi Dolphins and Sialkot Stallions, where the latter emerged convincingly victorious by 8 wickets at a packed Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

“We are doing our best to bring international cricket back to Pakistan. We are quite positive about that and are also planning to host the PPL so that we can take the first step,” said Ashraf.

Almost twenty two thousand spectators witnessed the final on Sunday. The turnout gave a strong indication of the passionate sports following in this part of the region, who all expressed the desire of watching the national team play in their home country,

Pakistan has not conducted any international series since 2009, after the gunmen attack on Sri Lankan team bus. Despite the visiting players being rescued safely, the terrifying incident forced the ICC to discard Pakistan from hosting international cricket.

"The discipline shown by the fans prove that we deserve international cricket and the successful event with immaculate security proves that we can host international cricket," said Shoaib Malik, who lead the winning team from front.

Former Pakistani batsman, Javed Miandad, also hailed the successful arrangement of the event and hopes that this will encourage international teams to change their views about Pakistan.

The security arrangements being made during the one-week long tournament were very stringent. Each visitor was thoroughly checked and scanned before entering the venue. Approximately thirteen thousand policemen were deployed to maintain safe measures.

Malik Matloob, who is a senior police officer and was deployed at the venue, said that the peaceful ending of the event reflects the security strength of their department which can ensure the same for the international matches as well.

PCB has already engaged itself in restoring international cricket in Pakistan. In this regard, the board has invited Bangladesh for a short series but the delay in their response still shows their reluctance. However, other efforts have been made with former wicket-keeper, Rashid Latif, volunteering to help the board to bring in a World XI.

Investors show interest in Pakistan Premier League

Sources confirm that Pakistan Cricket Board has been approached by at least four different corporations to launch the first ever international T20 league in Pakistan, an idea that has been floating around since 2007.

PCB Chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed said that the companies have been asked to present the PCB with a plan on conducting our very own Pakistan Premier League. He said that the PCB was excited to see such a response from those companies.

Talking about the inclusion of international players in the event he said, “We have to sit and look into the modalities and feasibility of having such an event in Pakistan involving foreign players.”

It is speculated that the event can be organised in any of the following months of the Twenty 20 World Cup later this year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been making efforts to attract investments and start Pakistan Premier League since 2007, but the attack on Sri Lankan team in 2009 brought these efforts to a halt.

Premier league to be finalised in month’s time: PCB

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is confident about finalising its Premier League Twenty20 competition in a month’s time after receiving a series of presentations from foreign and local broadcasters and sports management companies. “Right now the presentations are hovering around the concept of the premier league for Pakistan. The financial and other aspects of the event will be finalised later on,” a PCB official was quoted as saying on Saturday. He, however, made it clear that from the initial presentations made to the PCB it appeared as if the board would not have to shell money out of its own coffers and the costs of the Premier League would be financed through sponsors, broadcasting rights and other avenues. “In fact we are hopeful that we might end up making profits from the first season of the Premier League,” he said. The PCB official admitted that at some presentations they were suggestions that due to security concerns in Pakistan the tournament should be held in the UAE.

“But the PCB’s point is very clear that the event will be launched from Pakistan. Our feeling is that if we start the Premier League from abroad it would be difficult to get it back to Pakistan,” the official said. He said at most presentations the board was assured that foreign players could be convinced to take part in the tournament.

“The league should get its name in a month’s time if everything goes according to plan,” the official said. The official added that three more presentations were lined up for the next week. “The most positive aspect has been that parties and sponsors have shown interest to be part of PCB’s league,” he added.

Pakistan premier league (PPL) T20 2012

After the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) in the start of 2012 BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) cricket turn the table of Cricket toward themselves. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided that they have to start PPL in Pakistan for the advertisement of Cricket in Pakistan. Cricket is finished in Pakistan but PPL is the hope, that reborn Cricket in Pakistan. Here we will tell you about the PPL t20 teams and other details of Sponsor links in Pakistan.

Pakistan Premier League (PPL) T20 2012 Begun In October

PCB announce the ppl t20 tournament held in Pakistan in the October 2012. In PPL (Pakistan Premier League) 16 cricket teams Participate in the biggest event for Pakistani nationals in present. The interest of Pakistani cricket fans we can see on the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan 2012. The bad news is that the tour is postpone this month.

Teams

Rawalpindi Rams

Islamabad Leopards

Abbottabad Falcons

Sialkot Stallions

Peshawar Panthers

Faisalabad Wolves

Kabul Cheetahs

Lahore Lions

Quetta Bears

Multan Tigers

Hyderabad Hawks

Karachi Dolphins

Dubai Rangers

Beijing Warriors

Sukkar Zebras (formerly Karachi Zebras)

Mirpur Lions (formerly Lahore Lions)

Pakistan Premier League: National cricketers join the bandwagon

Jayasuriya (in picture) and retired Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds both agreed to be part of the league straight away. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) received a huge breakthrough in its bid to launch the Pakistan Premier League (PPL) when various national and international cricketers showed interest in featuring in the planned event.

The PCB, desperate to revive international cricket in Pakistan, is making huge efforts and using all its available resources to make the league a reality. The board, under chairman Zaka Ashraf, is confident that holding the tournament featuring renowned international cricketers will help a in reviving international cricket in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, according to an official close to the matter, following lukewarm response from foreign players after efforts from its officials, the PCB is now taking help from the country’s leading cricketers to use their personal relations and convince players to tour Pakistan.

“A senior member of the team is playing a vital role in this regard,” the official told The Express Tribune. “The cricketer’s representative is also in close touch with the PCB as well as foreign players on the issue. He’s already given a presentation which was impressive and is set to give an important one later this month.”

Jayasuryia, Symonds on board

The official added that the player helped get confirmation from former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya and retired Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds with both agreeing to be part of the league straight away. The name of West Indian legend Brian Lara has already been linked with PPL.

“These players have promised to feature whenever they are invited. This is just the beginning and we are expecting more confirmations. Although these cricketers have passed their prime, their participation will convince other players to come forward. The PCB will also take help from other players who feature on foreign tournaments regularly.”

Meanwhile, according to reports, four companies have shown interest in being associated with the league, a development that has encouraged the PCB. The idea was first floated by former chairman Nasim Ashraf in 2007 but, under Ijaz Butt, the plan was abandoned. However, the success of similar leagues in Bangladesh, Australia and South Africa, after the success of the IPL in India, prompted the board to re-launch its efforts

What the Pakistan Premier League should look like

The dream of the Pakistan Premier League (PPL) has finally become a reality as announced by the PCB. PHOTO: AFP

The dream of Pakistan Premier League (PPL) has finally become a reality: the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zaka Ashraf has declared that this event will be held in October. Here’s what I think the event should look like.

Name

To be really honest, I would like a unique name for our tournament. Case in point; Spain’s La Liga and Australia’s Big Bash, two unique names which almost every sports fan knows. And frankly there are too many Premier Leagues in our region. Why not something in Urdu?

Total number of teams

There are speculations that 16 teams will feature in the event, which is a bit too much for my liking. It would mean less competitive matches and dwindling viewership. I think eight is the magic number; fewer teams means a less diluted pool of talented players which can lead to stronger sides and more exciting matches.

With the chances of foreign players showing up being slim, we need to keep the players pool tight to get thrilling matches. In the end, the product has to be appealing to the customer. Easy wins by strong teams over feeble teams would weaken the tournament.

Number of matches

The teams should be divided into two groups of four. Each team plays each other twice in group stages on a ‘home and away’ basis. The top two teams advance into next “Super Four” stage where they also play each other twice on a ‘ home and away’ basis. The best two teams meet in the “three match finals.”

This means a team will play six matches in group stage and six in the Super Four stage.

Team representation areas

This is a no-brainer. Because of economic viability and available infrastructure, teams should represent populous cities with large fan bases. Provinces like Sindh and Balochistan, that do not have many big cities, may use the province name to broaden their appeal.

As the tournament will progress, teams can expand their fan appeal. Fans of Sialkot Stallions and Karachi Dolphins can be found almost everywhere, and this proves two things.

One should have a star studded line-up
Winning tournaments wins you fans

Team names

One of the most crucial aspect of creating a fan base is to have an appealing team name. Although I liked the names of the teams who played the Faysal Bank T20, I think it does create an element of monotony that all teams are named after animals.

Teams should be creative and think out of the box when it comes to choosing a name; something that cricket fanatics can relate to.

Lahore Badshahs somehow stuck the right chord with Pakistani fans, maybe it was the presence of some great Pakistani cricketers or maybe because the name was so desi.

I think we need to ditch the conventions and go crazy when it comes to choosing team names. Why not have a Sher-e-Punjab XI – a dedication to centuries old most coveted wrestling title of Punjab.

The business side of things

It’s astonishing how Indian Premier League (IPL) has contributed to the Indian economy. Businesses like sports, manufacturing and tourism are benefiters of a successful event. Pakistan may not have big names like Mallyas or Ambanis but different companies could come together to form consortiums to own a team, or we could go the FC Barcelona way.

1. Corporate ownership

For the sake of business, I say emulate the IPL business model. PCB could invite bids from different corporations for owning a franchise and successful bids can be paid to the PCB by the corporations on a five to 10 year instalment basis. The PCB will also keep the central broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals.

Team owners could keep the money from ticket sales, sponsorship deals and official merchandise along with a share in central broadcasting rights and central sponsorship. Both the teams and the PCB will work together for the maintenance and development of stadiums.

2. Public ownership

Following the approach of leading Spanish football clubs and handing ownership to the fans would be a good idea. Barcelona and Real Madrid are co-operatively owned by 175,000 members where membership is sold to the general public. People get concessional tickets and merchandise and most importantly, the power to vote on matters of the club.

Instead of having just an emotional attachment to the club, this could provide an opportunity for fans to have a real sense of belonging and take part in the decision making process too. Every fan will enjoy deciding who should be the president of the club.

Contracts

Players should be open to independent contracting instead of being auctioned with salary caps for teams to keep it fair (e.g. teams should be allowed a fix amount of total budget to hire players). It would be up to the players and the teams to decide the terms of contract and payments. However, in order to stop exploitation of players, the PCB should enforce a minimum amount payable by the teams to the players.

Infrastructure

Pakistan will have to improve its infrastructure, provide better facilities at grounds and improve ticketing etc. During a recent trip to the Pindi Stadium for Faysal Bank T20 matches, I was not impressed with the event management. The cricket was enjoyable, no doubt, but the whole package needs upgrading. We can introduce e-ticketing and hire event management companies to manage all off field activities.

Achieving all of the above is not impossible; we have proven time and time again that we are a nation capable of accomplishing remarkable feats. We just have to belie

Pakistan Premier League should be held in country: Abdul Qadir.The old magician Abdul Qadir (Tuesday), to launch a backup of the Pakistan Premier League (PPL) idea, and said that it will attract foreign players, thus ending the drought in international cricket in the country.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) plans to launch in October, PPL, to use the competition from 21 to 20, to show the world the security of the country’s cricket. Kadir, the main choice of the former PCB, praised his efforts to return to ZAka Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket International said PPL will help first-class players to improve their skills, and international actors to play with. “I’m optimistic that some good players in the world will be displayed PPL, he hoped.”

When asked about his visit to Bangladesh, Pakistan, citing security concerns, and stop there to be seen, the Council rope in foreign players, qadir said: “This is not a team are invited At that time, but only players who should attend this event. ”

Qadir said:” The international players will come here, then certainly the best security arrangements available to them, because the PCB has announced the launch of the PPL, based on many national and international players Cricket’s interest in the game

The former captain Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka and former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has said they are ready to play in the game, but more confirmation.

Kadir said, PPL will certainly be the center of attention of a person, investors and the PCB.

Bangladesh Premier League (EPL) just to see how successful, if PPL is only the beginning of a new era in Pakistan cricket, “he said. Answering a question, Qadir said that there will more teams, the PPL, is even more exciting, it will be.

There should be a 12-16 team, the name of the PPL and the team must stay in Pakistan city to produce the rate of interest of people, “he said.Qadir said, for example, the local team should choose their own city, and players of international actors should be through the bidding process.