The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman claimed that the country's home-grown T20 league crossed the digital ratings bagged by the IPL 2022.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi ignited a debate with a controversial claim around the just concluded 2023 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Sethi has claimed of being told that the digital viewing ratings for the PSL 2023 were even higher than those of the past edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The IPL may have enjoyed unmatched Indian and global viewership over the years but Sethi said in a press conference held before the PSL 2023 final on Saturday (March 18) said that the tournament’s digital ratings surpassed those of the IPL 2022 at the corresponding halfway mark.
Sethi claimed numbers to assert his point of PSL 2023 leapfrogging even IPL 2022 on digital platforms. The PCB chief told the media top brass gathered for the presser in Lahore that he got in touch with the digital rights team of the PSL when the league’s 2023 edition was only half done and even then the tournament had crossed IPL 2022 in enticing viewers on streaming platforms.
“Let’s talk about digital,” a seemingly confident Sethi told the press. “PSL was only at the half stage, so I asked about our digital rating. Najam Sethi show used to have a 0.5 rating on TV, whereas PSL is getting a rating of more than 11. So, it would be 18 or 20, when it completes.”
“Over 150 million people watched it digitally. It is not a small thing. At the same stage, IPL’s digital rating was 130 million and PSL’s is more than 150 million. So this is a great success for Pakistan,” he added.
Sethi’s comments triggered a controversy and debate amongst the passionate Indo-Pak fans, who continue to claim supremacy of their home-grown league over the other.
The PSL vs IPL debates have been going on ever since the former was inaugurated in 2016, which is basically an extension of the cricketing rivalry that exists between the two countries.
