ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently said it has sent a legal notice to South African cricketer Corbin Bosch for allegedly violating his contractual obligations to the board, after he pulled out from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi and signed with Mumbai Indians for the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2025 edition.
This is the first time that the PSL, Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 cricket league, will be played concurrently with the IPL. The IPL will run from Mar. 22 to May 25 while the PSL will run from Apr. 11 to May 18. The PCB shifted the PSL window to improve the quality and availability of overseas players. When the PSL was held in the February-March window, it had to compete with the SA20, International League T20 and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for players.
Bosch was selected by Zalmi in the diamond category at the PSL draft held in January this year. However, on Mar. 8, Mumbai Indians announced he would be replacing the injured Lizaad Williams in their squad.
“South Africa’s Corbin Bosch has been served a legal notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) alleging breach of the all-rounder’s contractual obligations to the PCB,” the PCB said in a statement on Sunday.
“The legal notice was served through his agent, and the player has been asked to justify his actions of withdrawing from his professional and contractual commitments,” it added.
The PCB said its management has outlined the repercussions of Bosch’s departure from the PSL, adding that it expects the South African cricketer’s response within the stipulated time frame. It did not elaborate the time frame allotted to the South African cricketer for his response.
The PSL will feature big overseas names such as former Australian opener David Warner, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, West Indies bowler Jason Holder, South African batter Rassie van der Dussen and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in its 2025 edition.
However, it will have a tough time competing with the IPL, which is the world’s richest cricket league. According to a Brand Finance report, the brand valuation of the IPL has risen from $2 billion in 2009 to $10.7 billion in 2023.
