Jarrod Kimber criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board’s intention to ban players opting out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the Indian Premier League (IPL). He argued that the PSL should avoid scheduling conflicts with the IPL and suggested that to retain players, the PSL must offer competitive salaries.
Photo : TN Sports Desk
Prominent Australian cricket writer Jarrod Kimber called into question the approach of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in contemplating a ban on players for pulling out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The PSL, which kicked off on Thursday, March 26, 2026, two days ahead of IPL, has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, including white ball turning pink and ball-tampering allegations. In contrast, the IPL has been making headlines for all the right reasons. With franchises like Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals commanding valuations exceeding a billion dollars, it has surged far ahead of the Pakistan Super League across every metric, from financial muscle to global brand recall, leaving virtually no room for comparison. And here’s where Pakistan seems to be working against its own interest.
Kimber suggested that, in the best interest of PSL, they should avoid playing their league during IPL, and if they cannot do that for whatever reason, they should be able to pay the players the same amount of money as IPL does, failing which they should learn to live with it.
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“The PSL made a really interesting claim recently that they’re going to start banning players who pull out late for the IPL. But if that’s the case, you really shouldn’t be playing your league at the same time as the IPL. And secondly, if you don’t want players to leave your league for another league, pay them the same amount of money. And if you can’t do that, surely you just have to accept it,” he said in a video posted on X.
IPL’s media rights are over $6 billion for the 2023–27 cycle, way more than any other league, quietly placing itself as the richest cricket league in the world, with no one in the vicinity. PSL, as compared to that, has an overall valuation estimated to be under $500–600 million. The recent franchise valuations have exceeded a billion dollars, and are expected to grow even further in the coming years. Just in business terms, IPL is a global giant with a massive consumer market, strong corporate and sponsorship backing, while PSL continues to evolve with questionable global reach and a struggling market that has its own limitations.
With almost every global cricketing talent trying to ply their trade in IPL, it is not always possible for the franchise owners to pick a certain player, given the dynamics of auctions and the need of the hour. Kimber went on to emphasise that even when a player is IPL quality, he may still miss out as sides may not automatically need his services, but the following year can be different, where he can be called upon as a replacement. One of those things that keeps happening in the IPL from time to time.
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“The players who are going into the IPL now are more IPL fringe overseas players, right? Someone like Blessing Muzarabani is a perfect example of this. That kind of player who we know is basically IPL quality, but he doesn’t fit into every team, and maybe sides don’t automatically need him. So let’s say he’s needed this year and next year there aren’t as many injuries, and maybe he’s not needed,” Kimber stated.
“A perfectly normal thing to have happened in any cricket league around the world. That means he’s available for the PSL. He’s obviously a PSL-level player. I don’t think anyone would argue with that. So now your league is weaker because you’ve banned a player who went to make more money. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Further establishing his point, the Australian writer said that it is only natural for a player to look for PSL opportunities after missing out on an IPL contract, and similarly, a player doing well in the PSL will do his chances a world of good to play in the IPL, explaining the market economics and questioning PCB’s thinking behind looking to ban players, which is only going to make PSL weaker.
