“PSL Is Not Competing With The IPL”- Multan Sultans’ Owner Drops Bombshell

Most of the fans of the two neighboring countries always try to compare the excitement and craze between the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Due to Pakistan’s international calendar at the start of the year, including the tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at home, the board members decided to hold the T20 franchise league in the middle of April and May.

Ali Khan Tareen offers a candid take on the comparison between the PSL and IPL

The Pakistan Super League is happening in April and May, which coincides with the IPL, where most of the players need to decide on which league they will choose.

During a recent interaction with ProSports, the Multan Sultans’ owner, Ali Khan Tareen, eliminated the comparison between the two tournaments. He felt that there would be no way for the Pakistan Super League to compete with the IPL, which sits at the top of the table around the globe.

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“Not ideal (for the Pakistan Super League to coincide with the IPL), but given the alternatives, it’s the best solution we could come up with. The issue is different. We are not competing with the IPL; that’s not happening. But the issue is that we could not compete with the other leagues.” Tareen said in the recent podcast.

He believed that, in the past, when they used to host the tournament in the winter, the committee used to struggle to attract players from the other ongoing leagues. The players, according to him, were not willing to skip those leagues for PSL.

“Where we were playing in the winter, there were other leagues, including ILT20 (International T20 League), Big Bash League, SA20, Bangladesh Premier League, and no player was willing to skip all of them to come to us. There was not a single one.” The Multan Sultans’ owner addressed.

“They used to come in a different way, like Johnson Charles (The West Indies opening batter) would play four to five games in a different league, and then he would come,” Tareen explained in the same podcast.

Multan Sultans’ owner exposes PSL

He remarked that besides the lack of money, there are other issues, including the players’ desire to be part of other leagues and look after their families.

"There are so many reasons behind that. Money is one of those. The players also want to have good relationships in other leagues as well. At the bottom of the line, the summary is that people are unfortunately going to skip all these leagues in favor of the Pakistan Super League.” Ali Tareen shed light.

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The Multan-based franchise owner believes that rather than competing with all the other leagues around the world, it would be important to focus on one tournament and attract their players.

💥 @aliktareen Drops Truth Bomb on PSL vs IPL Clash!
Why are top players skipping PSL? Ali says the timing clash with IPL is hurting the league big time! 😬📉 #Alitareen #Prosports #Pslx #ApnaXhai pic.twitter.com/7OP28yIzzN

— ProSports (@Pro_SportsPK) April 19, 2025

PSL’s poor situation

The brand value of the PSL is way smaller than the IPL. Over the 18 seasons, it has grown by leaps and bounds in the skills of the players, producing many players for the country.

Pakistan Super League, on the other hand, has grown slowly but is yet to make a name on the world stage in comparison with the other leagues in attracting players. It’s not clear if the event will continue to take place in the same period.

A few days ago, Corbin Bosch was banned by the PCB because the bowler decided to go to the IPL even after earning a contract in the Pakistan Super League.