The "proliferation of Twenty20 cricket continues apace" over the next couple of weeks when a contest of retired greats goes head-to-head with the Pakistan Super League "for the dollar of the Emirati fan and the eyes of the sub-continental TV viewer," according to Matt Smith of REUTERS. The Masters Champions League, which boasts Brian Lara and Muttiah Muralitharan, and the Kevin Pietersen-endorsed PSL "are embarking on their maiden seasons and seeking to emulate the Indian Premier League" and Australia's Big Bash League.
An appetite for watching retired players was illustrated when Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar’s "Cricket All-Stars" games drew an aggregate crowd of 83,900 in the U.S.
The MCL "is looking to that same expatriate audience to fill stadiums in Dubai and Sharjah but so is the PSL, which cannot be held in Pakistan for security reasons and has switched from Qatar to use the same grounds."
The MCL "runs Jan. 28-Feb. 13, the PSL Feb. 4-23." The rival events "play on the same day on seven occasions, creating a dilemma for the most dedicated cricket fans."
MCL CEO Zarah Shah said, "On the commercial side it has created a problem, because we will compete for ticket revenue." PSL Governing Council Chair Najam Sethi said, "Broadly speaking, we know how much is coming in from broadcast rights, title sponsorship, but the big factor is gate money and sale of (corporate) boxes. If we've 70-80 percent turnout, we’re running away with a lot of money. If we've 50 percent things may not look as bright."
Sethi said that TV rights would be the PSL’s biggest revenue source, while Shah predicted 60-70% of the MCL’s income "would eventually come from subcontinent broadcast rights" (REUTERS, 1/27).
