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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced that the Pakistan Super League (PSL)’s commercial rights for franchises, title sponsorship and broadcast have been sold.

The franchise rights have been sold for $93 million. With Quetta, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad set to vie for glory in the first edition of the League, the franchise rights were awarded to successful bidders at the end of the bidding process.

The franchise rights for Quetta were sold to Omar Associates. The Karachi franchise was bought by Salman Iqbal, the CEO of ARY Group. The rights for Lahore’s franchise were awarded to Qatar Oil.

The franchise rights for Islamabad were sold to Leonine Global Sports where the Peshawar franchise rights were won by Javed Afridi, the CEO of Haier Group and a long-timer partner of Pakistan cricket.

In another successful development, one of Pakistan’s oldest and biggest banks, Habib Bank Limited has joined the PSL as title sponsor for the first three years of the League. As a result of this partnership, the League will now officially be known as the HBL Pakistan Super League.

“I am delighted with these positive developments and this is a major achievement in our PSL journey. The best part is that all team owners are ardent cricket fans and their dedication will make this league a success. HBL’s association with the PSL is another indication of established brands partnering with the League,” said Najam Sethi, the PSL Governing Council chairman.

Having reserved production rights to ensure international standard coverage, HBL PSL’s broadcast arrangements have also been finalised for the next three years.

The coverage will be produced by world leaders Sunset+Vine. Matches will be aired in Pakistan on Ten Sports and PTV Sports. Global TV rights for the same duration have been sold to Tech Front, a UAE-based media rights acquisition company.

Commenting on this development, Sethi said, “Having awarded production rights to Sunset+Vine, the next step is to ensure that we get the maximum number of eyeballs and I would like to welcome our media rights partners.” “The sale of all commercial rights – broadcast, franchise and sponsorship is perfectly in line with the League’s budgetary estimates,” he added.

The coach selection process for all five teams will take place in the next 10 days and the player draft event will take place by the end of December.

The first edition of the HBL PSL will take place from February 4 to 23, 2016 with matches taking place in Dubai and Sharjah.

UAE Royals thrashed Japan Warriors 30-15 on day two of the International Premier Tennis League in Kobe, while Singapore Slammers narrowly overcame Philippine Mavericks.

The Warriors failed to win any of their five one-set matches, with Maria Sharapova, who took part in their 6-0 mixed doubles defeat, defeated 6-4 by Ana Ivanovic, while Goran Ivanisevic and Tomas Berdych were both victorious for the Royals.

Victory sent them to the top of the standings with a second straight win, but the Warriors have now experienced successive defeats.

In the day’s other contest, the Slammers secured a narrow 26-24 triumph over the Mavericks despite losing the men’s doubles and men’s legends singles.

Serena Williams lost 6-4 to Karolina Pliskova, but the score was level at 20 apiece before Milos Raonic and Nick Kyrgios met in the final set.

The Australian’s 6-4 win ensured it was the Slammers who emerged victorious for the first time in the competition.

Raonic admitted it will take time for him to adapt to the format in his debut campaign.

He said: “It’s a good format, fans enjoy it. For me, I’m somebody who usually likes to take his time in between points, so it will take a little getting used to, but I’m sure it’ll get better by tomorrow.”

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan slammed the fitness levels of Pakistan’s limited- overs squad but cautioned the team management against too many ‘experiments’ in the Twenty20 side with World Championship in India just four months away.

Khan, who was speaking to the media on Thursday amid reports of divisions within the Pakistan camp, clarified that all ‘stake holders were on the same track’ and team selections were not based on personal preferences of the captains.

“Please don’t believe the rumours. I have full faith in the selection committee and their decisions. We must focus on the real reasons for our defeats which are falling fitness levels of our players,” Khan told reporters outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Khan also stressed the need for ‘mental alertness on the field’ in a reference to several comical run-outs that the Pakistan batsmen were involved in during the England series.

Khan was quick in backing embattled T20 captain Shahid Afridi when asked about the inconsistencies in team selection and England’s 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan in the recently concluded series.

“All decisions that a captain takes on and off the field are purely based on cricketing reasons and sometimes they do not come off. That is the nature of cricket. There is no grouping or any such thing in the team.”

“We cannot chop and change the team too much with the World T20 around the corner. The time for experiments is up.”

The PCB chief, however, admitted that there were concerns over the return of Mohammad Amir in the Pakistan team and the issue had created some division within the ranks.

“There are slight concerns over Amir’s return to the side and as far as I know, the subject has been discussed in the dressing room. But we have told Amir that if and when he comes back, he will have to make sure there are no disciplinary issues.”

On Wednesday, Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis described defeat in the T20 series against England as a “huge eye opener” for his team whose “poor and ordinary” performance needed proper analysis.

Pakistan were blanked 3-0 by England who won the third and final game in Sharjah in a thrilling Super Over finish on Monday leaving Waqar to ponder his side’s progress just months before the World Twenty20 in India.

Pakistan won the preceding three-Test series 2-0 but lost the four-match one-day 3-1 with the limited-overs performances highlighting the team’s serious lack fitness.

Waqar pointed out fitness as the key problem in an interview on Wednesday and stressed on the same point in the Thursday press conference alongside Khan.

“I’m thoroughly disappointed at the nature of our defeats but in T20s one moment can change the course of the game. But where we were found wanting were our fitness levels.”

The former captain said the major reason for the Test team’s success was its consistency and experience and called for patience with the ODI and T20 side.

Waqar also moved to rubbish reports of rifts between him and T20 captain Afridi. “There is no truth to such claims.”