'Viewers will leave IPL to watch PSL': Hasan Ali's bold claim despite admitting Pakistan's flop show can 'impact' league
Hasan Ali made a bold claim on PSL's competition with the Indian Premier League (IPL).
With the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) going head-to-head this year, Hasan Ali has made a rather bold claim on the viewership between the two leagues. The Pakistan pacer believes that if the quality of cricket in the PSL reaches a high level, fans won’t hesitate to “leave” IPL in favour of Pakistan’s flagship T20 tournament.
Traditionally held in February-March, the PSL had to shift to an April-May window this season due to the 2025 Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan, directly putting the league in competition with the IPL. Despite the IPL’s overwhelming popularity and financial clout, Hasan expressed confidence that the PSL can carve out its own space — if performances live up to expectations.
“Fans watch the tournament where there's good cricket with entertainment. If we play well in the PSL, viewers will leave the IPL to watch us,” Hasan said, speaking to reporters ahead of the PSL 10 opener, as quoted by Geo News.
Hasan will represent Karachi Kings this season; he acknowledges the impact Pakistan’s recent international struggles have had on the perception of the league — something he hopes will change with time and better results.
“When the national team doesn't perform well, it impacts franchise leagues like the PSL,” he admitted. “But when Pakistan do well, the PSL's graph also rises.”
Pakistan's poor performances
Pakistan’s recent international track record has been far from inspiring. Their Champions Trophy title defence ended in the group stage with back-to-back defeats to New Zealand and India. A white-ball tour of New Zealand followed, which resulted in a 4-1 T20I loss and a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI leg — despite the return of senior players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the fifty-over series.
Still, Hasan remains hopeful that change is coming.
“The current results aren't great, but we have fresh faces in the team and also in management who need time. The players know where they went wrong and where to improve,” he added, voicing support for the new-look setup.
