After its talks broke down with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially approached Qatar to host its own Twenty20 league in Doha, in February 2016.
The PCB is sending an official proposal to Qatar Olympics Association, asking them to upgrade the sole cricket stadium in the country, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
The PCB had formerly intended to schedule the franchise-based T20 league in UAE, Pakistan’s new home ground since 2009. However, in June when the board approached ECB to finalise the venue, they found out that the location had already been booked for February for the Masters Champions League – a tournament for retired international cricketers. The MCL was unveiled at the Burj Al Arab on June 3, with former cricketers Brian Lara, Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram all in attendance as icon players.
The ECB refused to lease out the three stadiums to Pakistan, given the MCL had already locked the deal. Zafar Shah, the chairman of the MCL, independently tried to chalk out a way to accommodate both the leagues within the February window, but the dates could not be worked out.
Read: Five-team Pakistan Super League expected to begin next year
It is likely the PCB will wait another month before going forward with Doha as the alternative venue for the inaugural version of the league.
The PCB has been floating the idea of hosting their own T20 league for the last five years, though the talks never really materialised. Logistical issues led to an indefinite postponement of the league in 2013, and while there was an attempt to revive the tournament in 2014, with the PCB inviting various parties to acquire rights for the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the quality of the bids meant that the board put their plans on hold again.
Meanwhile, the board’s chairman Shaharyar Khan and executive committee head Najam Sethi have also been at loggerheads in public over the tournament.
The PCB is racing against time, but the board said it was “determined” to host its first league involving high-profile players from around the world.
Read: ‘T20 League in UAE for financial purposes’
During Zaka Ashraf’s tenure, the PSL business model – unveiled in January 2013 – was expected to fetch the PCB “in excess of $100 million”. The PCB had also announced the base prices of players for a proposed auction, though they did not reveal the pool of players who had signed up for the tournament. The league’s current design is based on the draft system – the distribution of top players among the five franchises will be equally managed.
