The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has signed an agreement with Facebook to broadcast the remaining matches of the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL6) going to restart from June 9.
Reports said that the matches of the league, which was suspended earlier this year due to rise in COVID-19 cases, will be shown Paid Online Events service of the social media platform.
The 20 matches of the PSL 2020 will be played in Abu Dhabi and fans will have to pay a “one-time sign-up fee” to access the live broadcast, sportsbusiness.com reported.
PCB hopes that the live broadcast of matches on Facebook will attract a global audience from the region where the board does not have rights agreements.
Markets that will not be able to use Facebook’s Paid Online Events service include the US, Canada, Caribbean, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Sub Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives, the publication reported.
However, the PCB said the move will help monetise the 20 remaining PSL matches.
Last week, the PCB confirmed that the tournament will resume from June 9 in Abu Dhabi.
There will be six double-headers – five of them during the preliminary round and the sixth on 21 June, when Qualifier and Eliminator 1 matches will be played. These matches will start at 1700 UAE time (1800 PKT time) and 2200 UAE time (2300 PKT time), respectively, while the single-headers will begin at 2000 UAE time (2100 PKT time).
On 9 June, fourth-placed Lahore Qalandars will meet third-placed Islamabad United in what will be the 15th match of the tournament.
The delayed start due to logistical and operational challenges that were beyond the PCB’s control will allow the sides sufficient time to train, practice and gear up for the biggest prize in Pakistan’s cricket calendar.
United and Qalandars resumed training on Wednesday evening, while the other four sides will start training from Thursday. Players and player support personnel, who have completed the mandatory seven-day room isolation and returned three negative tests, are allowed to integrate with their sides and participate in training sessions.
To make this schedule work in the best interest of the event, players, commercial partners and franchises, the PCB, in consultation with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has agreed to delay the departure of the Pakistan men’s side’s players and players support personnel from Abu Dhabi to 25 June.
The side will arrive on Manchester from where they will be transported to Derby for the mandatory room isolation period and training session. The side will move to Cardiff on 6 July where the first One-Day International will be played on 8 July.
Revised HBL PSL 6 match schedule is (all matches at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Single matches to start at 2000 UAE time; double-headers to start at 1700 UAE time and 2200 UAE time, respectively):
3-8 June – Practice
9 June – Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United
10 June – Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings; Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars
11 June – Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators
12 June – Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi
13 June – Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars; Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
14 June – Islamabad United v Karachi Kings
15 June – Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars; Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings
16 June – Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators
17 June – Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi; Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars
18 June – Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars
19 June – Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings; Multan Sultans v Islamabad United
20 June – Practice
21 Jun – Qualifier (1 v 2); Eliminator 1 (3 v 4)
22 Jun – Eliminator 2 (loser Qualifier v winner Eliminator 1)
23 June – Rest/practice
24 Jun – Final
The announcement has brought respite to both the stakeholders of the tournament and cricket fans who were eagerly awaiting the return of the league, which was suspended earlier this year in March due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, the matches were scheduled to start from June 1 in Karachi but a sudden surge in infection caused moving the league to the UAE.
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