Several high-profile international cricketers have withdrawn their names from the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season due to the event clashing with other franchise-based tournaments.
Moreover, many cricket boards have denied permission to their players to participate in Pakistan’s domestic T20 competitions.
The 2024 edition of PSL is slated to get underway on February 17 and all the six franchises have faced a setback with several players opting for the Bangladesh Premier League, ILT20 and SA20 leagues.
Multan Sultans have lost quite a few players they had initially roped in for the upcoming season, with England pacer Reece Topley being the latest to pull out due to an injury.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also confirmed that Topley was not granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to compete in the PSL.
According to a PTI report, some other boards are also having second thoughts about giving no-objection certificates for PSL.
The report claimed that Peshawar Zalmi have lost a big name in Lungi Ngidi of South Africa, while Quetta Gladiators will be without Sri Lanka's Wanandu Hasaranga.
As per the report, Caribbean players such as Shai Hope, Matthew Forde and Akeal Hosein, South Africa's Tabraiz Shamshi and Rassie van Der Dussen, England's James Vince and Afghanistan's Noor Ahmed and Naveen ul Haq, among others, will also skip the upcoming PSL.
Considering the withdrawal of many star players, a PSL franchise owner has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to revisit the tournament window.
"The SA20 ended recently and the ILT20 concludes on the day the PSL begins, so it is getting difficult to sign big players now," the franchise owner told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
He also mentioned the busy international calendar in the months of January-February. Currently, Sri Lanka are playing a series against Afghanistan while West Indies are touring Australia. New Zealand are also hosting South Africa in a Test series.
"There is an acute need to change the PSL window, else it will lose its charm if we don't get big overseas names," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
