The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is under growing financial strain as it tries to recover billions of rupees in unpaid dues from multiple stakeholders, even while Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises continue to press for the revenue shares they believe are owed to them. With incoming payments delayed, the board has reportedly started issuing legal notices to a range of parties—including PSL teams, broadcast partners and commercial associates—demanding outstanding amounts be cleared or else facing severe repercussions such as termination of agreements.
One PCB source, speaking in connection with the dispute, said that an initial round of notices was also sent to certain defaulting franchises to settle their pending annual fees. Those franchises have since cleared their dues, but the source added that they have also asked the PCB to release their entitlement from the central pool that has been pending since 2010.
The situation has taken on the look of a stand-off from both sides. Even as some franchises have begun paying what they owe, they are simultaneously raising concerns about money that the PCB has not released to them. The report highlighted that at least one team believes it has not received its full share from the central revenue pool for the league’s 10th edition—an amount put at roughly PKR 96 crore (Rs 32.74 crore).
In its response, the PCB has argued that it cannot distribute pending payments until it receives funds from its own contractual partners. That delay, in turn, has resulted in a backlog: the board is still stated to be owing several franchises between PKR 40 crore and PKR 45 crore from the central pool distributions related to last year.
At the heart of the financial pressure is a major rights holder. The report noted that the largest defaulter is a company that holds broadcast, media and commercial rights for the PSL as well as international cricket, yet has allegedly not cleared dues of around PKR 4.5 billion. The company is said to have attributed the pending payments to heavy losses, but the PCB source indicated the fallout has been significant—adding that the board has struggled to keep its financial records current and to conduct its accounts audit.
With money stuck at multiple levels across the PSL ecosystem, the dispute underscores a wider financial bottleneck affecting the league’s functioning. As the PCB seeks to recover what it is owed, franchises continue to wait for their share, leaving the PSL’s revenue distribution system under substantial strain.
