Owner of the Peshawar Zalim franchise in the Pakistan Super League, Javed Afridi, Tweeted that he would want the IPL play against the PSL and raise funds to support the loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
IPL And PSL
The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League has taken over millions of television screens world over. It has been an engaging diversion amid an otherwise distraught year. The onset of the pandemic has forced many sports to be postponed or heavily modified to suit Covid-19 related safety norms in place. Despite the games being played in empty stadiums, the current edition of the IPL has not failed to entertain its fan base with some exciting matches played so far in the tournament.
Pakistan has their own edition of T20 cricket league tournament, known as the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015, the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League was to be held entirely in Pakistan for the first time. However, the playoff stage games of the tournament were postponed due to the Corona virus scare. PCB were contemplating the idea of awarding the winner of the tournament based on the league standings, or to play the matches later.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on July 2, 2020, announced it would complete the season in November 2020. They confirmed the same on September 2, 2020, announcing that the remaining Pakistan Super League matches will be held after the Indian Premier League in UAE.
The Rivalry
Since any game between the Asian arch rivals tends to set temperatures soaring, cricket fans world over were left all enthused after PSL’s Peshawar Zalmi franchise owner pitched an idea on Twitter. Javed Afridi, who owns the PSL Peshawar Zalmi, suggested to host a fundraising match for coronavirus efforts between the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) in UAE.
The twitter post from the PSL franchise owner has left scores of Twitterati including Irish batsman Niall O’Brien expressing their consent and excitement for such a scenario.
Replying to Afridi’s comment, O’Brien posted he would love to see a champions league style competition again. He also suggested two teams each from IPL, PSL, Big Bash League (BBL) and one each from New Zealand, Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and other prominent cricket leagues play in two groups of six semi-final and final games.
The possibility of such a game seems highly impossible as bilateral relations between India and Pakistan are at an all-time low due to cross border terrorism and other issues.
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