Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has sparked a fresh wave of debate across the cricketing world by claiming that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is on course to overtake the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the world’s leading T20 competition.
Addressing the 82nd Governing Council meeting at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, Naqvi expressed unwavering confidence in the league’s commercial appeal and competitive standard.
“PSL has now become the best market for investment,” Naqvi said.
“The time is not far when PSL will become the number one league in the world.”
Naqvi’s comments come at a time when the PCB is facing significant logistical hurdles, including a reduced 2026 season played at only two venues – Lahore and Karachi – due to regional security concerns and domestic fuel crisis.
Despite these limitations, Naqvi pointed to the record response in the recent franchise auction as evidence of the league’s growing value.
ASSESSMENT GAPS
While Naqvi’s rhetoric focuses on potential, current market data suggests a monumental financial gap between the two South Asian neighbors. The IPL remains a global giant with the league’s total value estimated at around $18.5 billion. In contrast, the combined valuation of all eight PSL franchises is estimated to be around $260 million.
The disparity is most noticeable in individual franchise sales. In March 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru was sold for $1.78 billionmaking it the most valuable cricket franchise in history. The value of this single team is almost seven times the value of the entire Pakistan Super League. Even Latest PSL expansion teams, Hyderabad and Sialkot, were sold in January 2026 for around $6.25 million and $6.61 million respectively, dwarfed by the more than $700 million price tags commanded by the 2021 IPL expansion teams.
BROADCAST METRICS
The engine dominance of the IPL remains its media rights. The current 2023-2027 cycle is worth $6.4 billion, ensuring the league remains the second-richest sports property in the world on a per-game basis, behind the NFL.
Each IPL match generates approximately $13.4 million in media revenue alone. The PSL recently secured a record domestic broadcast deal with Walee Technologies for the 2026-2029 cycle worth approximately $93 million over four seasons.
While this represents a nearly 150% increase over the previous run, the value per match is estimated at $775,000.
As a result, a single IPL match generates more media revenue than an entire PSL season.
Critics in Pakistan, including former owners of the franchise, have expressed concern that the domestic economy lacks the heat to sustain Naqvi’s ambitious vision. They pointed to a lack of kit sponsors for some teams this season and a struggle for return on investment (ROI) that has seen brands shift budgets towards direct television advertising rather than team sponsorships.
However, PCB remains bullish. Officials point out that PSL’s digital viewership has grown by more than 600% in 2025 to reach nearly 50 billion cumulative streaming minutes.
While Naqvi claims the PSL is well on its way to the top flight, the reality of the 2026 season – when an IPL star’s salary in one season can exceed the total purse of an entire PSL team – suggests the competition remains more of a regional passion than global financial parity for now.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
06 Apr 2026 18:36 IST
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