As the commencement of the 9th season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) approaches in just 16 days, a dispute has arisen due to the delayed allocation of TV production rights. The evaluation process assigned 60% of the marks to technical evaluation and the remaining 40% to financial bids. The company holding the initial broadcast rights was disqualified during the technical evaluation, leaving only two companies in contention.
Sources indicate that all three companies expressed a lack of trust in the marking process and appealed to the Grievance Committee for resolution. Acting Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shah Khawar, successfully mediated and resolved the issue.
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Following the hearing, adjustments were made to the scores for all parties involved, and the previously disqualified company was reconsidered. The emphasis shifted to the company ranking second in the financial bid evaluation rather than the one with the lowest financial offer.
Additionally, the company initially qualified based on technical evaluation saw an increase of nearly Rs. 50 million in production costs. This year’s estimated production expenses are Rs. 1.15 billion, with next year’s anticipated amount being Rs. 1.21 billion. Notably, 95% of these costs will be covered by the franchises.
Sources reveal that objections regarding the bidding process were raised by both parties from the beginning, with formal complaints submitted to the committee. The top-ranked company also questioned the oversight provided by Director Commercial Babar Hamid’s bid committee.
However, PCB asserts that they followed the agreed-upon procedure, considering both technical and financial aspects when determining overall marks.
It’s important to note that the production cost for the previous year’s PSL amounted to Rs. 1.169 billion, with 95% of the expenses covered by the franchises and the remaining 5% by PCB.
Meanwhile, the ninth edition of the PSL is scheduled to kick off on February 17th at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, running until March 18th.
