PCB sues IMG-Reliance for PSL pull out

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has filed a damage claim against IMG-Reliance (IMGR) in the London Court of International Arbitration. The claim has been filed after IMGR pulled out of the TV coverage deal of the Pakistan Super League.

IMGR’s decision to pull out of the deal came days after a terrorist attack on the caravan of paramilitary personnel in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir which killed 44 of them, heightening tensions between India and Pakistan. PCB has stated that IMG Reliance were sent a legal notice on October 21, seeking compensation from the broadcaster for the loss the PCB incurred because of the pull-out. The PCB received no reply, prompting them to take the matter to court.

In a PCB meeting set to take place on Friday, Chairman Ehsan Mani will brief the Board of Governors about the move. The PCB is set to state that the "breach of contract by IMGR could have resulted in the remaining PSL matches not being broadcast on television; this would have severely damaged the standing and reputation of the PSL."

The abrupt decision of IMGR left the PCB in a hotchpotch of finding another broadcaster and revenues took a hit due to the deal, given the position of the governing body. Eventually, the PCB cracked a deal with the Blitz and Trans Group, within a couple of days, who bought the rights to arrange television broadcasts for the PSL for approximately USD 36 million, with this deal set to run till the end of the 2022 season.