Islamabad: The project of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) is yet to take off after only one company came forward for the live streaming rights.

According to the details, PJL is the dream project of Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja. He announced the first edition in October, efforts have been going on for some time to sell the rights but the response is very disappointing.

The board also faced bitter disappointment in the live streaming tender after the title sponsorship, with only one party coming forward, sources said.

For the one-year contract, the private sports channel bid only Rs 70 lakh, which is about 17% of the reserve price of PKR 4 crores 20 lakhs. The channel is also more interested in a three-year contract, but the board wants only a one-year contract due to some reasons.

Negotiations will be held on Monday, but the possibility of a major change in the situation is unlikely.  Meanwhile, viewing the possible lack of interest in TV rights, the rights have been given to the government channel. 72% of the income will be shared by PCB and 28% by the channel. Earlier, the board had received less than 25 per cent of the reserve price for PJL's title sponsor.

The board kept a reserve price of about PKR 44 crores and 80 lakhs for three years, but, both the companies in the race offered PKR 9 crores only. PCB had decided to sell the title sponsorship itself by cancelling the tender as there was no increase in the submission of new bids. According to the sources, T20 World Cup is also scheduled after the England series, so who will be interested in the junior league, as people like to watch stars and junior matches are less likely to succeed. On the other hand, Chairman Board has been on holiday in England for more than a month, he has not returned since the ICC meetings, and many unresolved issues are pending in his absence. According to the board spokesperson, Ramiz has extended his stay in the UK due to some cricket-related meetings.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 22 2022

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