ISLAMABAD: Some Pakistan Super League franchises have asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to reduce the players’ basic salary purse, sources said.
The proposal came during a PSL Council meeting in London last week. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting.
Naqvi did not respond to the proposal during the meeting, the sources said.
The PCB increased the basic player salary purse to $1.6 million per franchise after the first 10 editions of the PSL. The move came under the league’s auction system.
The amount equals about 450 million Pakistani rupees.
A franchise can increase its purse to $1.8 million, or about 505 million rupees, if it directly signs an eligible overseas player who did not play in the previous season.
Under the current salary structure, an Elite or top-category player can earn up to $150,000. Players in the second category can receive up to $80,000.
The third category carries a maximum salary of $40,000, while fourth-category players can earn up to $21,500.
The demand to cut the salary purse came after three franchises changed hands at high prices this year, the sources said.
The new Hyderabad franchise sold for 1.75 billion rupees, while the Rawalpindi franchise fetched 1.85 billion rupees. Multan Sultans sold for 1.08 billion rupees.
The owners of the other five franchises later retained their teams at comparatively lower prices.
The new franchise owners now face greater financial pressure than the established owners, according to the sources. They have therefore pushed for a reduction in the player salary purse.
Financial pressures have also affected the PCB, the sources said.
Some league stakeholders still owe money to the cricket board. The outstanding payments have added to pressure on the PSL’s finances.
The PCB has yet to publicly comment on the proposal.
