The Pakistan Cricket Board has received lower-than-expected bids for rights to the next three editions of the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 tournament.
According to news website Dawn, none of the bids were “anywhere near” the $42m (€37m) target set by the governing body over the three-year cycle.
The identities of the bidders were not disclosed.
According to the report, the PCB made a net profit of $784,000 on showing coverage of the first edition of the tournament, in 2016, when none of the matches took place in Pakistan due to security concerns. Owing to a lack of interest from broadcasters at the time, the PCB opted to acquire air time on three channels to exploit the coverage.
In 2017, with some of the action returning to Pakistan and the final taking place in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, the PCB generated a net profit of $3.8m from media coverage.
Figures for the 2018 edition have not been revealed by the PCB.
The fourth edition of the PSL will run from February 14 to March 17. Eight matches, including the final, will take place in Pakistan.