Lahore, 26 February 2016: Chairman Pakistan Super League Najam Sethi has termed the success of HBL PSL major success for Pakistan as it promoted a soft image of the country.

“We faced multiple challenges as we set out to organize the League and with the support of all stakeholders, we have managed to overcome all the challenges and deliver a successful tournament.”

With the entire nation supporting HBL PSL, the League proved to be a unifying factor for the country. “HBL PSL has given Pakistanis a national product that they can proudly own and the response that we have received from the fans has been phenomenal. The League has been instrumental in strengthening the process of national integration of the country. I would like to thank Pakistani fans all over the world. It is because of their support that we have succeeded,” said Najam Sethi.

Speaking about the commercial aspect of HBL PSL, Najam Sethi pointed out that the League’s commercial value has grown due to the tremendous response that it received from the fans. “HBL PSL’s TV ratings are comparable to Pakistan’s World Cup matches which is a huge achievement,” stated Sethi.

Terming the involvement of international cricketers a huge advantage for local players, Mr. Sethi highlighted that this has already started having an impact on Pakistan cricket. “Our players went through a fast-track learning experience and in these 15-20 days, they have shared dressing rooms and made friendships with some of the top international cricketers. All the foreign cricketers have provided us with an extremely positive feedback about their experience in HBL PSL,” added Najam Sethi.

Sethi expressed his satisfaction on the transparency of the League. “HBL PSL’s anti-corruption efforts were benchmarked against international best practices. We were not only able to devise an effective anti-corruption policy but, with the cooperation of all five franchises, we were able to successfully implement the policy in a transparent manner,” he added.

He thanked all five franchise owners and their managements for successfully partnering with PSL. He also thanked the sponsors for their support in making the tournament a huge success.

He thanked Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chairman PCB, Board of Governors, PSL Governing Council and all members of the PSL team for their continued support.