Daily Times

LAHORE: Islamabad United defeated Lahore Qalandars by 8 wickets in the opening match of the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League, which commenced at the picturesque Gaddafi Stadium here on Saturday evening. Chasing a formidable target of 196, Shadab Khan and Agha Salman played undefeated respective knocks of 74 and 64 as Islamabad raced home for the loss of two scalps in 18.2 overs. Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten 41-ball 71 and Sahibzada Farhan’s enterprising 36-ball 57 powered Lahore to 195 for the loss of 5 wickets. Lahore were off to a blistering start as Farhan put the Islamabad bowlers to the sword. In his knock, Farhan smashed eight boundaries and one six. On the other hand, his partner Fakhar Zaman remained quiet and was flummoxed by Shadab Khan. Zaman could only score 13-ball-13, lacing with one boundary. After losing Zaman, Farhan continued to show resistance before he was removed by Tymal Mills. It was Rassie van der Dussen, who stitched an important 42-ball, 73-run partnership with Abdullah Shafique to help the home side set a formidable total against Islamabad. Shafique, who was undone by Mills, smashed 22-ball 28, studding with three towering sixes. Rassie van der Dussen with his brilliant show, smashed four boundaries and three sixes. David Wiese (14) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (0) failed to show any significant contribution. For Islamabad, Tymal Mills bagged two wickets. Pacer Naseem Shah, who was playing the competitive after a while, had managed to pick up a wicket, conceding 36 runs.

PSL season nine begins with star-studded opening ceremony: Earlier, the PSL-9 kicked off with a mesmerising star-studded opening ceremony at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. Cricket fans in Lahore and all around the world saw spectacular performances by different artists and one of the major attractions was the performances of the singers, Ali Zafar and Aima Baig, of the PSL-9 anthem. The fans were also treated to performances by the renowned musician Arif Lohar and the band ‘Noori’ while the event commenced with Natasha Baig and Leo Twins’ soulful rendition of the national anthem and laser show. Gates had opened for spectators at 3:30pm, with the ceremony kicking off at 630 pm.

It must be noted that PSL 9 will be held in four cities – Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi – with the final of the event taking place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on March 18. Like the previous edition, the PSL-9 will take place in two legs with Multan Cricket Stadium and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting 14 matches between them from February 17 to 27. The action then moves to Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium and Karachi’s National Bank Stadium, where 16 matches will be held from February 28 to March 12. The event will then move to Karachi in its entirety for the playoffs.

A highly anticipated clash between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings is scheduled for February 24 and March 9. Gaddafi Stadium will host the February 24 encounter, while the National Bank Stadium will be the venue for the Qalandars and Kings match on March 9.