ISLAMABAD – So now you have seen it live, how does the PSL compare to theIPL?”
This loaded question has been posed to at least 100 times in the past fewweeks. Probably because I’ve been in Dubai and Sharjah to cover thePakistan Super League (PSL).
Well, by cover it, I was paid by the digital rights holder to make a seriesof eight “behind the scenes” videos. I spent my time interviewing coachingstaff and team owners. I played golf with the players. I walked around theboundary fence interacting with the crowd. I climbed light towers and heldfake press conferences.
PSL may not be the richest tournament, but it has the biggest heart
I even raced a virtual Uber and won.
The beautiful thing about covering a cricket tournament in this fashion isthat there is no pressure to submit any match reports once the game ends.Instead, I could simply lap up the atmosphere, chat with whoever was inattendance and thoroughly immerse myself into the experience.
And it is with this purity of being at a cricket match as a fan, albeit onewith a cameraman chasing you around, you can truly appreciate that the PSLis different from any other T20 league in the world.
In Australia, the purpose of the Big Bash League is very clear.
It is to encourage families, women and especially children, to discover andfall in love with the game. The marketing is tailored for the youth. Thegames are on prime time television right through the summer schoolholidays. It is Cricket Australia’s way of drafting new fans. Making moneyis a secondary consideration. That can come later. Because for now, it’sall about making cricket bigger and more popular with the kids.
At the other end of the scale, we have the Indian Premier League (IPL). Thelove child of Lalit Modi, the P.T. Barnum of his generation. He hasmanufactured a living breathing cricketing circus.
It pays the players mega bucks. It fills the stands. Merchandise sells out.Advertising during the matches is expensive. The best players want toparticipate. It habitually births millionaires. It has a gooey centre fullof creamy goodness that if you consume too much will make you feel sickinside. But you keep coming back for more.
It’s 50 Shades of Grey, keeping the leather but adding willow for addedkinkiness.
It pretends that it exists to develop the youth, but it is only there tomake money. Lots of money. And with money comes power. And the BCCI lovespower. There is no mistaking what the IPL is about.
But having now engaged with the PSL family, I’ve learnt that this eventonly three years old stands for something unique. Something special. Abigger cause. A noble pursuit.
At its core, the PSL is simply about bringing cricket home.
It is about creating dreams and then delivering on them. It is aboutcommunity. The cricketing family. It is a pathway for the underdog to riseand be heard.
It is pure. It is Pakistan.
While in the United Arab Emirates, I spoke at length to Nadeem Omar, ownerof the Quetta Gladiators. I spoke to Rana Fawad, owner of the LahoreQalandars. I spoke to Asher Schon, owner of the Multan Sultans.
Without fail, all were united in one primary goal. Yes, they wanted to win.But these guys are in it for the long game.
They have chosen to do their bit, use their resources, and use theirinfluence to help see international cricket played properly on Pakistanisoil again.
I’m talking real international tours. No disrespect to Zimbabwe, but notthem. No disrespect to Sri Lanka or the West Indies and their T20 matches.But it’s not about them either.
It is about Australia and England and South Africa. It is about India. Itis about full Test tours. Multiple stadiums in multiple cities. It is aboutproving to the world that their country is safe.
It is about giving the Pakistani people a pathway to a better future. Oneled by cricket.
The players also understood this quest. Even the international players likeShane Watson, who weren’t quite ready to make the journey into the land ofthe green shirts. Everyone wanted to do their bit to the level that theywere comfortable.
Critics of the PSL have pointed out that the stadiums in Dubai and Sharjahwere not very full. This is true. But this fact misses the point. Tounderstand, imagine playing the Big Bash in a non-cricketing country likeIndonesia. Some expatriates will turn up, but it will not be a large crowd.This is what the PSL currently has to deal with. However, look at what hashappened in Lahore and Karachi. The people responded.
There are other things that the PSL does that no other T20 tournament canmatch.
No other league has over 150,000 hungry cricketers turn out for open trialsas happened in Lahore. Meritocracy in action. Wealth, family status, whereyou live or your education were non-factors. If you were good enough, yougot selected.
No other T20 tournament is consistently discovering talent that so quicklyflowers into international stars.
But perhaps most importantly, no other T20 tournament unites a nation likethe PSL.
It may not be the richest tournament. It may not have the best skills. Itmay lack the best international players. But the PSL has the biggest heart.The biggest purpose. A true reason for existence.
It is about giving, not taking.
So when someone asks me what T20 league is better, the PSL or the IPL, theanswer is simple to give.
“It’s the PSL mate. It loves you as much as you will love it.” – DAWN
By: *Dennis Freedman is an Australian cricket journalist and host of thepopular Can’t Bowl Can’t Throw cricket podcast and is a regular contributorto Dawn.*