Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam, left, receives the winning trophy from Pakistan’s interior minister and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi (AP Photo) The Pakistan Cricket Board is facing mounting financial pressure as it seeks to recover billions in unpaid contributions from multiple stakeholders, even as franchises in the Pakistan Super League push for their outstanding revenue shares, a PTI report said. The board has reportedly issued legal notices to several entities, including PSL teams, broadcast partners and commercial associates, asking them to settle outstanding payments or risk serious consequences such as contract termination. The move comes as the PCB tries to stabilize its finances amid a delay in fund inflows. “Some defaulting franchises of the Pakistan Super League were also initially sent notices to settle their outstanding annual dues or face legal action. These franchises have now repaid their dues but have also asked the board to clear their share of the central franchise fund pending since 2010,” a PCB source said while talking to PTI. The situation appears to be a two-way stalemate. While franchisees have begun paying their own fees, they have also expressed concerns about payments owed to them by the board. One team, according to the report, has not received its full entitlement of around PKR 96 million (Rs 32.74 million) from the central revenue fund for the 10th edition of the league. In response, the PCB claimed that it could not release outstanding payments until it received funds from its own contractual partners. The delay has caused a backlog, with the board still owing some franchisees between PKR 40 million and PKR 45 million from last year’s central fund distributions. The main part of the financial burden comes from the key rights holder. According to the report, the biggest defaulter is the company, which has secured broadcast, media and commercial rights for PSL as well as international cricket, but is yet to pay dues of around PKR 4.5 billion after incurring heavy losses. “As a result, the board was unable to keep its financial records up to date and audit its accounting,” the source added. The ongoing dispute points to a wider financial problem in the PSL ecosystem, with payments stuck at multiple levels. As the PCB pushes to recover its dues, the franchises continue to wait for their rightful share, putting the league’s financial structure under considerable pressure.
