T20 league won`t be a copy of IPL: Ashraf

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board was keen on attracting investment from the Indian market for its planned Twenty20 league but it would not be "an exact model" of the IPL, its chief Zaka Ashraf said.

Asked if the PCB`s proposed league would be a copy of the highly successful Indian Premier League, Ashraf said, "This is a wrong impression. We are working on delivering a innovative and exciting PPL but it would not be on the exact model of the IPL." Ashraf said that Indian broadcasting company Nimbus was one of the several companies who are interested in becoming a part of Pakistan`s Twenty20 league. "Nimbus made a presentation regarding the league earlier this month. There are a few other companies in the picture as well," he said. Meanwhile, two more companies -- Ten Sports and one based in United Kingdom -- made presentations to the Board on the league proposed to start this year. Sources said of the two presentations, the Board officials were not very impressed with the one by the UK based company. "We have had several presentations and many people are promising to deliver a lot but we have to ensure the model we follow is viable for us financially and secondly it allows us to tap the international market," one PCB official who declined to be named told PTI. Ashraf made it clear that while the Board wanted the participation of foreign players in its Twenty20 league, the franchises would have to purchase them under a set financial model. He also said that the planned Twenty20 league may not be named the Pakistan Premier League. "We are not going to call it Pakistan Premier League as some people have been suggesting for quite some time now. We are still in the process of finalising a name that is good enough for what we hope will be an innovative and exciting league," he said. PTI