Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has announced that he will bring major changes to Pakistan Super League's (PSL) for the upcoming season. Raja said that replacing the existing draft system with auction system will "elevate the concept of PSL". He went on to say that after the changes, players will not choose Indian Premier League (IPL) over PSL.
"We need to create new properties to be financially independent. We have nothing for now but the PSL and ICC funds. There's an argument over the model from next year; I want to switch it to an auction model from next year," Raja told ESPNCricinfo.
"The market forces are conducive, but we'll sit down with the franchise owners to discuss it. This is a game of money. When the cricket economy grows in Pakistan, our respect will rise. The main driver of that financial economy is the PSL. If we take the PSL to auction model, increase the purse, then I'll put it in the IPL bracket. And then we'll see who goes to play the IPL over the PSL," the 59-year-old further added.
Raja revealed that he has talked to a few PSL franchises about doing away with the draft season for the eighth season. While this move will increase the fees of players, it will also mean that the franchises who are relatively weaker on the financial front will take a hit. The draft system allows franchises will smaller budget to make a good team whereas auction system may disrupt the balance.
"Every side's purse will increase, and if they want to improve they'll have to spend money. When you go from a draft system to this, the world's talent suddenly becomes available to you. I've spoken to a couple of the franchise owners; they're quite happy to experiment with this. I'll talk to the others, too. It's in the embryonic stages, but it's top of my wish list," he explained.
