The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been ranked as the second most entertaining men’s franchise cricket league in the world, according to an analysis by BBC Sport, placing it just behind the Indian Premier League (IPL) in overall rankings.

 

The report, released earlier this week, evaluated major T20 and short-format franchise competitions, including the IPL, PSL, SA20 in South Africa, Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the UAE’s International League T20 (ILT20), and The Hundred in England.

 

Conducted in collaboration with cricket analytics company CricViz, the study assessed leagues based on a range of performance and entertainment metrics such as the average number of boundaries per match, batting strike rates, proportion of close finishes, home advantage trends, wicket-taking patterns, and the average number of international caps among starting XIs.

 

The PSL led all leagues in average first-innings scores with 180 runs per match, one run higher than the IPL’s 179. It was also second only to the IPL in close finishes, with 27.5 percent of matches decided in the final over, compared to the IPL’s 28.9 percent. The PSL also ranked second in boundaries per game.

 

In terms of player quality measured through international experience, the PSL averaged 351 international caps across starting XIs, second only to the ILT20’s 423, which benefits from a higher overseas player allowance.

 

The BBC report acknowledged the PSL for delivering “quality, thrill and big runs,” noting its consistent production of high-scoring, competitive matches and its ability to attract leading international cricketers.

 

The IPL topped the chart in the “Entertainment Index,” which combined scores across all metrics, with a score of 4.53 out of five, followed by the PSL at 3.90. The ILT20 came third with 2.44, The Hundred ranked fourth, CPL fifth, SA20 sixth, while the BBL finished last.

 

Since its launch in 2016, the PSL has grown into one of cricket’s most high-profile franchise leagues, featuring six city-based teams and offering a platform for emerging Pakistani players to compete alongside some of the game’s biggest names.