When the HBL PSL comes knocking, lives change. We do not mean this in the sense that the carnival is in town and people are excited to watch the attraction. We are simply referring to the flurry of economic activity that comes with it.
This economic activity is difficult to quantify but it is definitely tangible. During the course of compiling this special edition, this publication’s reporters reached out to a wide range of people involved in the HBL PSL. There is the Pakistan Cricket Board, the franchise owners, and major sponsors that are directly involved in the finances of the tournament. Then there are others.
Take, for example, streaming. Last year, the live streaming rights for the HBL PSL earned Rs 93.17 crore. For platforms that provide live streaming, the HBL PSL has been an entryway that has made the concept of streaming possible in Pakistan. Cricket was the reason Pakistanis began subscribing to these platforms, and now that they are familiar with them, they stream outside of cricket too. But every year during the HBL PSL season, these streaming services see a major uptick in business as people subscribe to watch the games. It would not be a stretch to say the HBL PSL has played a big role in making streaming a viable business in Pakistan.
There are others as well. Sponsorship value for the HBL PSL was in the billions last year, and retail oriented products reported an increase in sales due to marketing and special offers. In Lahore, the owners of sporting goods shops told us there is an influx of people looking to buy merchandise every year when the HBL PSL rolls around. When they come to buy the merch, they also buy more tennis balls, tape, and bats. The HBL PSL is what you would call “the on season” for these sports retailers. There are others that benefit too. Large hotel chains that are used by teams to stay in Lahore, Karachi, Multan, and Rawalpindi where the matches take place. Contractors that provide transport services. Small printing presses also see an influx in orders.
Perhaps the most incredible realisation from speaking to this host of big and small stakeholders was the confidence they had that the tournament would be a longterm avenue for their businesses. Shopkeepers and major sponsors all spoke of the future and what they would do to continue cashing in on everything the tournament has to offer. In 2015, when the HBL PSL was first introduced, it was considered unlikely that the tournament would persist. Critics inside and outside of Pakistan felt that with no international cricket in Pakistan and the PCB in dire financial straits, there would be little chance of this tournament surviving.
Despite the naysayers, a group of early believers put their money where their mouth was and made the first edition of the HBL PSL possible. This issue covers their stories, their struggles, and what they hope to achieve from the future. It goes in depth to discuss how the HBL PSL has saved the PCB on many occasions by providing up to half of its revenue during some years. We have also discussed how the franchise owners and sponsors of the tournament have remained committed to it. All of this has been discussed at length in these stories.
What we must take a moment to do, however, is appreciate the HBL PSL for the unlikely hero it has turned into for Pakistan. Over here, we use the term Pakistan and not Pakistan cricket because the tournament is something all Pakistanis can be proud of. It is a quality product that is financially viable and has persisted through six prime ministers, as many chairpersons of the PCB, and struggles like Covid-19. The consistency of putting on a show of international standard for 10 years during a tumultuous time for Pakistani economically and politically has been an exercise in nation building. It might be a small effort in the grander scheme of things, but the HBL is something right and good about Pakistan. It is worth clinging to, and most importantly, it is a miracle worth maintaining and emulating.
