Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Contract breaches despite signed agreements, demands for higher pay, and last-minute withdrawals have left the Pakistan Cricket Board dealing with multiple challenges ahead of the Pakistan Super League. Several players are opting for the more lucrative Indian Premier League over the PSL, while also seeking pay hikes amid the ongoing West Asian conflict.“The PCB is right now totally focussed on hosting the PSL on schedule and have not decided on any course of action against overseas players who have pulled out for so called personal reasons or have openly breached their PSL contracts to go to the IPL,” the source told PTI.
The PSL and IPL schedules are set to overlap, with the PSL beginning on Thursday in Lahore and the IPL starting on March 28.According to reports, the PCB is considering strict action against players who have withdrawn, including potential bans ranging from two to four years.The board had earlier handed a one-year ban to Corbin Bosch for a contract breach last year.However, such bans have had limited impact due to the significant pay gap between the PSL and IPL, with the latter offering far higher salaries.“But there is an argument that bans will only make it more difficult for the eight franchise owners to sign on notable overseas players for the coming editions of the PSL. So the ban didn’t really impact him,” the source noted.“The PCB also expected to raise the issue with other members of the ICC,” the source said.Among the overseas players who have withdrawn from this year’s PSL after signing contracts are Gudakesh Motie, Johnson Charles, Dasun Shanaka, Blessing Muzarabani, Spencer Johnson, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ottneil Baartman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Tymal Mills.Meanwhile, several overseas players have arrived in Lahore for the PSL, including Australia’s Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, New Zealand’s Mark Chapman and Devon Conway, and South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi.“Foreign coaching and support staff have also started reaching Lahore with former Australian captain Tim Paine and his staff now in Lahore,” an official with the PCB’s PSL secretariat said.
