'You will not see a player playing for 16 crores in the PSL' - Aakash Chopra reacts to Ramiz Raja's statement over PSL and IPL

Almost a month after the grand success of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2022), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja proposed an auction model to replace the current draft system starting next year. Talking about his long-term vision, Raja made it clear that it was not just to compete with its India franchise T20 cricket league rival IPL but to make it way better than the marquee tournament.

Meanwhile, former India Test opener Aakash Chopra has come forward and justified why the Indian Premier League will remain the best T20 league in the world. Giving further clarification on the same, he said that one will never see a player playing in the PSL for a phenomenal amount of 16 crore as the market dynamics will not allow that to happen.

Is it even possible to compete or compare yourself with the IPL, says Chopra

“Even if you do an auction instead of drafts, it is not going to happen, you will not see a player playing for 16 crores in the PSL. It cannot happen at all, market dynamics are not going to allow that to happen, it’s as simple as that,” said Chopra on his official YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra further gave an example of Chris Morris who was the most expensive player in the 2021 auction and how even his one ball was worth due to his hefty IPL contract.

“To be very honest, Chris Morris’ one ball, when he played last time, was more expensive than the players’ salary in other leagues. Is it even possible to compete or compare yourself with the IPL, whether it is PSL, BBL, The Hundred or the CPL? Is it a slightly misplaced judgment?” he wondered.

“The price is decided based on how much money you get from the rights, at what price the teams are sold and then there is a total purse according to which you play. All these are interlinked, they are not separate. If someone sees them separately, he is going to get defeated,” the cricketer-turned-cricket pundit added.

Talking about the success of PSL 2022, it’s profit jumped to 71 percent which is the most in the history of the competition ever since its inception in 2016. The tournament also saw Lahore Qalandars being crowned champions for the very first time after handing a 42-run defeat to an in-form Multan Sultans in the final.

The IPL 2022 will kick off from March 26 with last edition’s finalists Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders locking horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 70 matches will be played across four venues in Maharashtra in the two-month tournament and all the 10 teams have been divided into two groups.