KARACHI: 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 published by BBC Sport, placing it just behind the Indian Premier League (IPL) in overall rankings.

The BBC Sport report, released earlier this week, examined 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.

The study was conducted in collaboration with cricket analytics company CricViz and measured a range of performance and entertainment-related metrics.

The evaluation considered factors such as the average number of fours and sixes per match, batting strike rates, the proportion of games decided in the final over or ball, home advantage trends, wicket-taking patterns, and the average number of international caps among starting XIs.

According to the findings, the PSL led all leagues in average first-innings scores, recording 180 runs per match, one run higher than the IPL’s 179. In terms of close finishes, the PSL had 27.5 per cent of its matches decided in the final over, second only to the IPL’s 28.9 per cent.

It also ranked second in boundaries per game, again trailing only the IPL.

When measuring player quality through international experience, the PSL averaged 351 international caps across the starting XIs, the second-highest among the leagues surveyed.

The ILT20 topped this category with an average of 423, aided by its higher allowance for overseas players.

BBC report highlighted that the PSL delivers quality, thrill and big runs, and the competition consistently produces high-scoring, competitive matches and attracts leading international cricketers.

In the “Entertainment Index,” which aggregated performance across the measured metrics, the IPL emerged as the top-ranked league, scoring 4.53 index score out of a maximum of five, followed by the PSL with 3.90 index score.

The ILT20 (2.44) was third in the entertainment index, while England’s The Hundred placed fourth, followed by CPL at 5th and SA at 6th. The BBL finished last.

Launched in 2016, the PSL has quickly grown into one of the most high-profile franchise leagues in the cricketing calendar. It features six city-based teams and has developed a reputation for producing thrilling contests, fast scoring rates, and opportunities for emerging Pakistani talent to compete alongside and against some of the game’s biggest names.