Aakash Chopra, former India and Kolkata Knight Riders opener, downplayed Ramiz Raja’s high claims on the value of the Pakistan Super League and comparisons with the Indian Premier League on Thursday, saying the market dynamics make the Indian T20 league incomparable.
Aakash Chopra said that not only the PSL but every cricket league in the world including the Big Bash League could not match the riches of the IPL, adding that viewership in India is a big plus for the money-rich T20 league.
Chopra’s comments come after Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja said if PSL moves from the existing draft model to the auction model, the Pakistan T20 league will be on par with the IPL. Raja has even hinted that players will favor PSL over IPL when the auction model is rolled out.
Established in 2016, PSL is a 6-team league that operates on the draft model, with each team signing players in a draft in a different price range. On the other hand, in IPL auction mode, players go under the hammer and get significantly more money than other leagues around the world.
“The main engine of this financial economy is the PSL. If we bring the PSL to the auction model, increase the purse, then I will put it in the IPL bracket. And then we’ll see who plays the IPL over the PSL,” Raja had told ESPNCricinfo.
Aakash Chopra stressed that the auction model will not change the value of the PSL and said the sale of the broadcast rights to IPL gives him huge financial backing.
“The price is decided based on how much money you get from the rights, what price the teams are sold at and then there is an overall price that you play by. All of this is linked, they are not separate. If anyone sees them separately, they will be defeated,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“Even if you do an auction instead of drafts this will not happen, you will not see a player playing for Rs 16 crores in the PSL. It can’t happen at all, market dynamics won’t allow it. it’s that simple,” he added.
“Is it even possible to compete or compare to the IPL, be it PSL, BBL, The Hundred or the CPL? Is that a slightly wrong judgement?”
Notably, the value of media rights for the IPL between 2018-2022 is Rs 16,375 crore and the value of the rights for the next cycle is expected to increase to almost Rs 50,000 crore with 2 news teams joining the bandwagon. Broadcasting rights for the 2023-27 cycle will be auctioned from April to May.
The 2022 10-team IPL season kicks off on March 26 when defending champions Chennai Super Kings take on Kolkata Knight Riders at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. All 70 league matches of the IPL 2022 will be played at 4 venues in two cities, Mumbai and Pune this year.
