Pakistan's Stand with India Back Then – And the Backstabbing We Face Now
Let's go back a bit. Remember how Pakistan stood shoulder to shoulder with India when it mattered most? In the 80s, after India's shock 1983 World Cup win, we helped bring the 1987 World Cup to the subcontinent. Without Pakistan's support, that tournament stays in England forever. Then there was Jagmohan Dalmiya's push for ICC president – Shaheryar Khan from our side backed him solidly, helped him win, and gave Asian cricket a real voice for the first time. That was proper unity, subcontinental brotherhood stuff.
But not everyone remembers gratitude, do they? Fast-forward, and the BCCI has completely turned against the PCB. No bilateral series since 2008 after Mumbai, Pakistani players banned from IPL for years, MOUs torn up like the 2014 one, and now they use every bit of their 38.5% ICC revenue share plus Jay Shah running the show to squeeze us out. The IPL blocks out 2.5 months every year – no international cricket allowed – while boards like West Indies scrape by on 4.5% of the pie. Smaller nations are dying, and Pakistan feels it the worst.
Here's the thing though – Pakistan doesn't need India to survive in cricket anymore. We're on our own route to self-sustainability, and it's picking up speed. The PSL might not be anywhere near the IPL in size or money (no one's pretending it is – IPL franchises go for hundreds of millions while new PSL ones sold for single-digit millions in the recent auction), but it's taking solid baby steps forward. Franchise fees have doubled revenue past Rs7 billion recently, international media rights deals are jumping (one cycle saw a 149% increase), HBL smashed records renewing title sponsorship with a 505% rise since PSL started, and overall PCB revenue streams show ICC money is now just about 35% – the rest coming from domestic ops, bilateral series, sponsors, and PSL itself. That's diversification, that's independence building.
And credit where it's due: the current PCB regime under Mohsin Naqvi is working aggressively on this. They're pushing real reforms – switching to a full player auction from the old draft for PSL 11 (starting March 26, 2026), bumping player salary purses to USD 1.6 million per team, adding two new franchises (Hyderabad and Sialkot), bringing Faisalabad back as a host city, guaranteeing minimum earnings for franchises at Rs850 million per season, and focusing on transparency, competitiveness, and player opportunities. It's not just talk; these are moves to modernize, grow the league's brand, and make it more attractive globally while keeping things fair at home. Even with challenges like stadium upgrades or broadcast negotiations, the direction feels positive – ambitious, structured, and aimed at long-term strength.
From Pakistan's side, we've taken enough hits. We supported them when they were building up; they repay us with this. Enough is enough.
It's high time PCB stops reacting emotionally and starts behaving with real grace, elegance, and above all, national pride. Build alliances with other boards who feel the same squeeze, focus on our own domestic cricket, push for fair reforms at ICC level, and never beg for scraps. Carry ourselves with dignity – that's how you earn respect back, not by matching their pettiness. But all these aspects should be merged with our national interests and pride, because at the end of the day, it is the Country which should matter first. Cricket is bigger than any boardroom fight or personal ego – it's about representing Pakistan with strength, self-respect, and a clear vision that puts the green shirt, the flag, and 240 million people ahead of everything else.
What do you reckon? Has India's rise come at the price of stabbing old allies in the back, or is this just how big money changes everything? Drop your thoughts below, let's talk. 🏏
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