Mohammad Rizwan is currently ranked no. 2 in ICC rankings for T20I batters. Over the last couple of years, the 30-year-old has emerged as one of the main batters for Pakistan. Now Rizwan, who has played in several franchise T20 leagues like the Pakistan Super League, the Bagladesh Premier League and the Big Bash League, has said that the PSL is the toughest cricket league in the world, surpassing even the Indian Premier League.
"We used to say there is IPL; now, if you ask players who go back after playing here, they say that Pakistan has the toughest league in the world because even our reserve players sit on the bench," Mohammad Rizwan was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
"Obviously, everyone knows that PSL has surprised the whole world. In the beginning, it was said that it won't succeed and things won't differ. As a player, we also realized that it has made a name for itself worldwide."
The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League is scheduled to take place next year from February 9 to March 19 in Karachi, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Lahore.
Earlier in March, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja revealed the profits earned by the board and the amount each PSL franchise earned during the competition. The former Pakistan skipper said that the profit jumped to 71 per cent during the season, which is the most in the history of the tournament. He added that each franchise took home PKR 900 million (Rs 38 crore).
"HBL PSL 7 profits jumped to 71 percent, the most in its history, with each franchise earning around PKR 900 million, again the most in HBL PSL's history, and all before the first ball was even bowled," Ramiz Raja said in an official statement.
Raja also lauded fans for their "overwhelming" support in Karachi and Lahore -- the venues for the first and second phase of the tournament -- adding that he had never seen such "lively and supportive crowds" in his professional career.
"There is no doubt that the HBL Pakistan Super League 7 has been a phenomenal success and this is largely due to the fact that we had amazing crowds, both in Karachi and Lahore. In my professional career, I have never seen such charged up, overwhelming, enthusiastic, lively and supportive crowds, particularly in Lahore," he added.