New Delhi: The Pakistan Super League is turning out to be a flop show with crowds missing from stadiums even as the PCB cites rising TV viewership. Pakistanis are hurt by the absence of biryani inside stadiums and Babar Azam’s continued run drought. ‘0, 1, 2’—this is not a number system but Babar’s scores in the PSL.
And experts and analysts are now “literally begging” people in Karachi to come and watch the matches of Pakistan’s homegrown league.
Despite a reported 826.5 per cent increase in streaming viewership this year—an unprecedented spike according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)—crowds in Karachi have been notably absent, with images of near-empty stands sparking widespread discussion online.
Empty stadiums, boys’ club culture
Many feel Karachi isn’t just uninterested—it feels actively offended. The city wants more respect, better teams, better vibes, and ideally, some biryani.
“Karachi’s crowd ghosted cricket after 2019 and PSL’s been getting friend-zoned by empty stands ever since. You want Karachi back? Build a Hussainabad level food street outside the stadium. No biryani, no crowd. Cry about it,” political satirist Shafaat Ali wrote on X.
Karachi’s crowd ghosted cricket after 2019 and PSL’s been getting friend-zoned by empty stands ever since.
You want Karachi back? Build a Hussainabad level food street outside the stadium.
No biryani, no crowd. Cry about it. pic.twitter.com/hUlJ1s8Rnh— Shafaat Ali (@iamshafaatali) April 21, 2025
The decline isn’t just about missing snacks and sagging infrastructure. Some fans are calling out what they see as a boys’ club culture around the national squad—“yaari dosti” cricket that prioritises friendships over form.
“Karachi stadium always had great crowds and people loved their cricket. Poor outdated T20 cricket by national team, yaari dosti involvement by a certain group and biased journalism has resulted in decline of cricket. PCB needs to take strict action otherwise cricket will die,” a disgruntled Cricket fan, Asif H William, wrote.
Meanwhile, players aren’t giving fans a lot to look forward to.
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam is leading Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2025, but both his form and the team’s performance have struggled. Zalmi is at 5th place out of 6 teams, with just one win in three matches. Babar has scored only 3 runs this season, with innings of 0, 1, and 2. He recently registered his 9th duck as PSL captain, the most by any skipper in league history.
“Someone tell Babar Azam this is the PSL and not a World T20 where he is expected to fail and lose Pakistan games. Maybe then he’ll statpad like he usually does in the PSL,” Pakistani X account Cricket & Stuff wrote.
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IPL comparisons
The conversation around the PSL’s challenges is further intensified by ongoing comparisons with India’s IPL, which continues to draw packed crowds.
Things are so bad that even those who are actually showing up in stadiums are watching IPL instead of their own matches. A video has gone viral on social media showing a man watching an IPL match on his phone while seated in the stands during a PSL game.
The issue has not gone unnoticed by international commentators. During a recent broadcast, English cricket commentator Mark Nicholas addressed the situation, urging local fans to return to stadiums.
Sad when the commentators are literally begging people in Karachi to come and watch the Pakistan Super League.
Mark Nicholas "well they don't flock into this ground annoyingly and we do urge people locally to come because it will bring such an atmosphere to the tournament if… pic.twitter.com/Z6R8alBrqS
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) April 20, 2025
“They don’t flock into this ground annoyingly, and we do urge people locally to come,” he said, adding “It would bring such an atmosphere to the tournament.”
So, Pakistan is doing what it does best: Use memes for consolation. While some are calling IPL a cheap copy of PSL, others say that Indians are spreading fake news about PSL.
Handing out gifts such as hairdryers and beard trimmers to their players isn’t helping the Karachi team either—its only more fodder for memes.
Ahead of the season, Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali claimed that PSL could attract global attention if the quality of cricket improved, even going so far as to suggest fans might “leave” the IPL to watch Pakistan’s premier T20 tournament.
However, England’s Sam Billings, who has played in both leagues, offered a more grounded view. Speaking at a PSL press conference last week, he called the IPL “the premier competition” in world cricket and placed the PSL a tier below.
“The IPL is hard to look past. Every other competition is just behind,” Billings said.
One Pakistan cricket fan summed up the sentiment: “Hum nahi anay walay. Chaiya Sydney jesay stadiums hee bana do (We won’t come even if they make stadiums like Sydney). no interest in these bullshit players and team.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)