Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is mulling options on how to curb India’s growing hold on the T20 franchise cricket across the globe.
The governing body for cricket in Pakistan has already approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) about introducing measures to control the proliferation of franchise cricket in the world.
Indian investment in foreign franchises is certain to limit the opportunities for Pakistani players to Participate in these leagues. Not a single player from Pakistan was selected for the inaugural draft of the SA20 in which all six teams are owned by Indian conglomerates.
In the UAE’s ILT20 draft, Azam Khan was the only Pakistani selected by Desert Vipers, the only team to have American owners. Pakistan also does not have the financial upper hand when compared to ILT20 and SA20 meaning more players could skip the Pakistan Super League to play in other tournaments.
PCB has now started sharing their concerns regarding the T20 franchise cricket with other boards as well to figure out an amicable solution.
One option on the table is the possibility of reciprocal arrangements regarding No-Objection Certificates (NOCs), which would allow Pakistani players to participate in foreign leagues in exchange for their appearance in the PSL. PCB has been rather stringent in letting players leave to participate in international leagues in recent times which represents a major shift in their approach.
Although there exists no evidence that Pakistani players are being deliberately passed on by Indian owners as exemplified by Azam Khan playing for Barbados Royals or Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Hasnain having played for Trinbago Knight Riders, (owners of Kolkata Knightriders) the opportunities for them may become limited as compared to the rest of the world.
