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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and owners of all eight Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises have discussed a proposal to hold the tournament in January next year. According to a report by cricket website Cricinfo, the proposal was discussed during a meeting of the PSL Governing Council in London. The council considered moving the tournament to January due to concerns over limited advertising revenue during the April-May period. Franchise owners, however, have raised questions about whether they would continue to receive their full share of broadcast revenue if the tournament is moved to a different time of the year. They have also expressed concerns over advertising income, particularly as revenue from television rights has not reached the expected level. Under the current PSL agreement, all franchises receive 95% of the broadcast revenue generated through the central revenue pool. PSL schedule changed in recent seasons The first nine editions of the PSL were held in February and March. However, the tournament was moved to April-May for the last two seasons due to the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup this year. As a result, the PSL was held at the same time as the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to Cricinfo, one advantage of the April-May window is the availability of foreign players. In previous years, the PSL faced difficulties in securing overseas players because of clashes with other T20 leagues around the world. However, returning to the January-February window could create the same problem, as South Africa’s SA20 and Australia’s Big Bash League are held during this period. Holding the PSL in January could also create administrative and weather-related challenges for the PCB. January and February are among the coldest months in Punjab, where three of the four traditional PSL venues — Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi — are located. Temperatures can fall below single digits during these months, while heavy fog can also disrupt the travel of players and teams. One proposal is to begin the tournament in Karachi, where winter conditions are relatively mild, before moving to Punjab and Peshawar as the competition progresses. Pakistan has an international cricket window from November to March Pakistan currently has an open international cricket window from mid-November to March, with no home or away series scheduled during this period. The national team is scheduled to host Sri Lanka and England in October and November before playing a two-Test series against New Zealand in March. The series against New Zealand will be Pakistan’s final Test assignment in the current World Test Championship cycle.