Pakistan leave foreign players in dilemma as PSL set to clash with IPL next year

India and Pakistan have a long-standing rivalry that is not limited to on-field battles. Even when it comes to organising the event, the two teams never miss an opportunity to lock horns. While India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy is under discussion, the latest reports have emerged that their domestic league tournaments will clash next year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to shift the 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to May next year from the usual February window. This is in the backdrop of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. The major 50-over tournament is also scheduled to take place in the month of February, with Pakistan as the hosts.  

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According to later reports, the PSL 2025 will be held from April 10 to May 25. This suggests that the 34-match tournament has a high chance of clashing with the Indian Premier League (IPL). The previous IPL edition in 2024 was held from March 22 to May 26 and the upcoming year's schedule is also likely to be around the same period.

If reports are to be believed, both the tournaments will be held at the same time. This will create a huge dilemma for foreign players to decide which tournament to participate in. However, given the popularity of the IPL, the decision is likely to backfire on the PCB itself.

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PCB to introduce three new Champions tournaments

Along with PSL 2025 and other tournaments, the PCB plans to introduce three more Champions tournaments as part of the men's domestic cricket season 2024-25. The decision, which was announced by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday, was to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.

The three new tournaments are the Champions One-Day Cup, Champions T20 Cup and Champions First-Class Cup. Other domestic tournaments of Pakistan cricket are the National T20 Cup, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (regional first-class tournament), President’s Trophy (departmental first-class tournament) and President’s Cup (departmental 50-over event).