AFTER much indecision, the Pakistan Cricket Board has finally announced the launching of the Pakistan Super League in Doha, Qatar next February. Inspired by the lucrative Indian Premier League, the five-team T20 tournament will carry collective prize money of $1m, with a number of leading players from around the world participating. Najam Sethi, who is chairman of the PSL`s governing council, is excited about the potentially prolific league and envisages a tremendous response from players, sponsors and broadcasters in the lead-up to the league`s launch on Feb 4.

However, many a critic and ex-player still see the PSL as a gamble which may or may not prove to be PCB`s golden goose. Question marks continue to hang over the cash-rich league at the moment despite Mr Sethi`s claims that all bases have been covered to make it a viable venture. Following a lukewarm response from the UAE as first choice hosts, the PCB opted for Doha as the venue for PSL despite the fact that Qataris as a nation do not naturally take to the game of cricket.

While Qatar has made rapid strides in soccer and is all set to stage the Soccer World Cup in 2022, it lacks the basic infrastructure for cricket tournaments, while the sultry weather conditions there are also not ideal for the game. More importantly, the players need the stimulus of an appreciative crowd to deliver their best on the field, particularly in the T20 format, which Doha will woefully lack despite being home to a sizeable South Asian population. While the ICC was browbeaten into creating a special slot for the IPL at the time of its launch, thanks to the tremendous influence India wields in international cricket, Pakistan may not find it so smooth when it comes to foreign teams releasing their players for the PSL. While there is much to celebrate, the challenges for Pakistan are considerable on this front. Only time will tell if the PCB can overcome them.