MUMBAI: The Pakistan Cricket Board has roped in US based rapper Pitbull to perform at the opening ceremony of this year’s Pakistan Super League.
The bill the cash strapped PCB will have to cough up for a 10-minute performance by the Florida-based rappper (Gentleman’s Quarterly ranked him as the 9th worst rapper of all time) at the ceremony that includes expenses of his crew as well – $700,000 (PKR 100 million).
The PSL franchises haven’t exactly embraced the move though. A number of team owners have raised questions over the need to rope in the 38-year-old singer at such a hefty amount, local media reported.
The board’s argument that they signed Pitbull in order to draw global audiences to the opening ceremony is specious to say the least. More so considering that with the fourth season of PSL less than two weeks away, the PCB has yet to find a flagship sponsor.
A more likely explanation is that the PCB’s top brass have drawn inspiration from the fact that the rapper performed at the 2015 IPL opening ceremony. The moot question is why said top brass didn’t take a cue from the way the benchmark setting IPL approached the 2018 edition – only Indian acts were on show.
For the record, other performers at the PSL opener include actor Fawad Khan, singer Aima Baig, singer songwriter Shuja Haider and the latest iteration of Boney M (the original internationally famed quartet from the 70s disco era have long since left the band).
For the record,the opening ceremony is to be held on February 14 at the Dubai International Stadium.
