Multan Sultans owner Ali Jahangir Tareen took a sly dig at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) while answering a question about the upcoming Pakistan Super League season.
The tenth edition of the PSL will face the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year. The two tournaments will meet for the first time. The PSL usually runs in the February-March window. However, the PCB had to change the window for this year due to the Champions Trophy scheduled to be played from February 19.
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As a result, PSL will be played in April and May this year. According to reports, the PCB is now trying to sign some well-known overseas players who went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Reports state that big names like David Warner, Mustafizur Rahman, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes and others will be part of the player draft scheduled to be held on January 13. Star players have registered their names for the mega IPL. auction but failed to secure any bids.
Ali Jahangir Tareen gives PCB tryout ahead of PSL player draft:
While a number of big names from overseas will take part in the PSL player draft this month, many believe that the signing of those players could backfire. There are fears that the PSL franchises may find themselves in a tough spot if the players signed by them decide to opt for the IPL in case they are signed up by the IPL franchises as replacement players.
Ali Jahangir Tareen was also asked about the situation. In response, the Multan Sultans owner could not stop himself from taking a swipe at the PCB as he pointed out that the board will be unable to do anything to prevent players from choosing the IPL over the PSL.
He also revealed that the PCB could not even stop a player from leaving the PSL mid-season to attend a wedding.
“I'm sure PCB officials will say things like, 'We'll do this, we'll do that, we'll ban them', but what can they actually do? One of our players had left a match to attend. a wedding and I couldn't even stop him. So what can they say to a player who is going to play for money? Tareen said on Relukattay's YouTube channel.
Question, What will happen if a player selected in PSL 10 is selected as a substitute in IPL?
Ali Tareen, We couldn't even stop a player when he left PSL to attend a wedding, so how can we stop a player who is paid to play? pic.twitter.com/QHEipKeoDP
— @CallMeSheri1 January 7, 2025
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Recently, the PCB also had to accept a hybrid model for the Champions Trophy. While they had the hosting rights for the competition, the BCCI refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan. Ultimately, the ICC chose the United Arab Emirates as a neutral venue. As a result, India will play all their games in Dubai.