"Not a small thing" - PCB chairman claims digital viewership of PSL is more than IPL
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi has made a surprising revelation regarding the digital viewership of the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and compared it to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sethi revealed that the digital viewership of their franchise tournament is significantly higher than its Indian counterparts.
Rain looms over the HBL PSL 8 Final. @TheRealPCB and Franchises are anxious that the Final should not be disrupted. Therefore, we have decided to reschedule the HBL PSL Final from 19 Mar '23 to Saturday, 18 Mar '23. Tickets already purchased for the Final will remain valid.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, PCB's top boss mentioned that the tournament's digital viewership stands at 150 million, while IPL's is 130 million and feels it's a massive thing.
"Record crowd and record ticket sales. Let’s talk about digital. PSL was only at the half stage, so I asked about our digital rating. Najam Sethi show used to have 0.5 rating on TV, whereas PSL is getting rating of more than 11.
"So it would be 18 or 20, when it completes. Over a 150 million people watched it on digital. It is not a small thing. At the same stage, IPL’s digital rating was 130 million and PSL is more than 150 million. So this is a great success of Pakistan."
The debate between the two leagues has been one of the most intense in the last few years, with former and current players coming up with polarized opinions. Pakistan captain Babar Azam sparked controversy recently when he said he prefers the Big Bash League (BBL) over the IPL.
Lahore Qalandars beat Multan Sultans by one run to win PSL 8
Lahore Qalandars have won the PSL 2023 as they prevailed over the Multan Sultans in a nail-biting finish on Saturday. Batting first, defending champions Qalandars amassed 200 on the back of Abdullah Shafique's 65 and Shaheen Shah Afridi's 15-ball 44*.
QALANDARS BANAY CHAMPIONS 👑
Celebrations amidst fireworks 🥳
#HBLPSL8 | #SabSitarayHumaray | #MSvLQ https://t.co/sbIPNPJaVB
In reply, the Multan Sultans were on track before Afridi pulled it back in the death overs. He dismissed the likes of Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Usama Mir, and Anwar Ali to finish with figures of 4-0-51-4. The left-arm pacer also affected the crucial run-out of Khushdil Shah on the final ball of the innings to put the final nail in the coffin.