SA insistence hits Pakistan's version of IPL

Pakistan's plans for a domestic Twenty20 competition along the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL) hit a snag yesterday as South Africa refused to reschedule their series to accommodate the tournament

After the huge success of the IPL and similar leagues around the world, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to launch their own version, partly as an effort to lure overseas cricketers back to the troubled country.

The PCB wanted to stage the Pakistan Premier League (PPL) in March next year but the plan was set back after South Africa refused to rearrange the Pakistan national team's tour.

Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s between February 1 and March 24 and wanted the tour to be pushed forward to accommodate the PPL.

"We requested Cricket South Africa to change the itinerary so that we could expand the window for our Premier league, but they said that the tickets are already sold out and it's not possible now," PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP.