Another, year, another glittering season of cricket comes to an end. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) wrapped up in Karachi in front of a capacity crowd as Quetta Gladiators cruised to an easy victory over Peshawar Zalmi. The final may have been a one-sided affair but the season has been a showcase of swashbuckling cricket to the delight of many across the world. The PSL is here to stay, and has become remarkable in its unremarkable regularity. The question now is; what next?

In the words of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who tweeted his congratulations after the match, “InshaAllah, the next PSL will be held entirely in Pakistan.” This has been the goal that the tournament had been working towards since its inception, hoping to one day achieve the dream of hosting each match in its respective franchise’s city. That particular step still might be far away, but the Prime Minister’s tweet is a direct statement of intent – now he has to deliver on the promise.

The good news is that the perception surrounding the tournament has improved significantly. International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson – who was here on Sunday to watch the final in the National Stadium Karachi - said that the people and security forces of Pakistan deserve appreciation for their efforts that have changed the international perception that Pakistan was not a safe country for cricket. His statements have been backed up by the conduct of foreign players, who in the past had stayed away from the matches in Pakistan but showed up en masse to play in Pakistan this time around.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani echoed similar sentiments, saying that “this was a remarkable endorsement of PSL. Due to the geo-political situation, it was important that we demonstrated that Pakistan is capable of holding such an event.”

Despite these statements that fact remains that holding the whole tournament in Pakistan is a massive undertaking. Pakistan so far has only managed a minority of the matches and those too in only Karachi and Lahore. Holding the complete tournament in the country requires a different kind of administrative effort, and Pakistan has to start preparing for it right away if Imran Khan wants to keep his promise.

If is extremely appreciable that the government the Prime Minister seeks to expand the league, but it must make sure that he doesn’t take on too much too soon.