A total of 30 matches will be played during the league stage of the competition that will last till Friday, March 16. This will be followed by the playoffs that will be held from March 18 onward. The top two sides in the group stages of the competition will clash first up, with the winners qualifying for the final. This will be followed by an Eliminator on Tuesday, March 20, with the losing team bowing out and the winning side taking on the losing team from the first Qualifier. This third match, also an Eliminator, will be played on Wednesday, March 21, while the final will be held four days later on March 25. These two Eliminators will be played in Lahore while the final will be held in Karachi.
The Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test in 2009 remains to be the last international contest that Karachi hosted. Hosting of the PSL 2018 final could open up gates for the return of the international cricket in the metropolis, especially how the success of the PSL final in Lahore last year brought four T20Is to the Gaddafi Stadium. Franchises are confident that all of their players will travel to Pakistan if they make it to the last three matches. If everything goes according to plan, this PSL will do more wonders for Pakistan cricket than the previous one.
PSL chief Najam Aziz Sethi said Wednesday it was a great honour to start this year’s edition of the PSL in the Emirates. “Pakistan nation has proved once again that we can deliver in the most of difficult times.” He added that he was delighted with the progress that he had made in a span of 12 months. “We are delivering the third edition of the PSL and are confident that the third season is even bigger and better than the last season. We have some of the biggest T20 stars featuring in the tournament and we are all set to witness some enthralling cricket. Pakistanis around the world can be proud of this tournament as we have succeeded in portraying the message that we are cricket lovers and absolutely passionate about the game. We hope to see crowds in big numbers in the two UAE venues Dubai and Sharjah. The final in Karachi should be the crowning glory for PSL 2017. Come support Pakistan cricket and the PSL as it is a spectacle that you will remember forever.” Sethi added he hoped that in 2019 the entire tournament would be played at home. “That will pave the way for a full series in Pakistan by a top team,” Sethi said. “We are very satisfied that PSL has become an international brand in two years.”
Multan Sultans are the new entrants in the tournament. Multan Sultans are led by a veteran management with the likes of Shoaib Malik – who led Pakistan into the first ever ICC World Twenty20 final in 2007 – serving as captain and Wasim Akram – who was the mentor of Islamabad United, when the franchise won the first edition back in 2016. Tom Moody, the seasoned Australian coach under whose tutelage Sri Lanka reached the final of the 2007 World Cup and the Sunrisers Hyderabad won the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League, is the head coach. Multan Sultans’ are built around specialist T20 all-rounders in the likes of Malik, Kieron Pollard, and Sohail Tanvir, who is the only bowling all-rounder in the list. But their batting is their strongest suit. With players like Ahmad Shahzad, Darren Bravo, Kumar Sangakkara assisted by pinch-hitters Pollard, Malik, Sohaib Maqsood and globetrotter Tanvir, the Sultans have all the right ingredients to post big scores. Multan Sultans inclusion in the PSL is a testimony of the fact that the T20 league has grown in stature. The Multan-based franchise was sold for $5.2m per year exactly the double of what had to be paid for the previous most-expensive side: Karachi Kings. Their addition will make the PSL’s third edition lengthier as the four-week-long tournament will now host 34 matches – 10 more than the second edition. This year’s edition puts two of the poorest performers Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings under spotlight as both of the franchises have made drastic changes in their setups in their bids to put up decent shows.
Lahore Qalandars, who have won only 5 of their 16 matches in the first two editions, continued with their tradition of bagging T20 superstars as they signed Australian big-hitting batsman Chris Lynn after picking up Chris Gayle in the first and Brendon McCullum, their current captain, in the second edition. They also shook up their coaching panel by replacing Paddy Upton with Aqib Javed as the head coach and signing Shoaib Akhtar and Inzamamul Haq as bowling and batting consultants. After the first season, Qalandars overhauled their entire squad, a blatant acknowledgment that they had got it wrong at the draft. This year, they have retained the core last year’s team, and there seems to be a sense that with a bit more luck, they would have had more success last season. They have stuck by McCullum as captain, and also retained two more of their key foreign players in Sunil Narine and Cameron Delport, as well as locals Umar Akmal and Fakhar Zaman.
Karachi Kings, who have been slightly better than their arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars with seven wins in 19 matches, had the biggest T20 superstar in the country Shahid Afridi in their camp way before the PSL draft. They will be under a new captain as bowling all-rounder Imad Wasim will be at the helm of affairs. Karachi Kings are the only PSL franchise who have not hesitated in experimenting with their leadership. After trying out Malik, Ravi Bopara and Kumar Sangakkara as team captains, Imad has now been tasked with leading a side that has never lacked flair but has largely underperformed.
They had a strong team on paper in both of the first two PSLs, but still fared poorly and failed to leave a mark on the tournament. This time, however, the team’s management seems determined to make a difference.
Can the Karachi Kings, who arguably have the largest fan base in the PSL, turn things around this time? Despite having big names, PSL’s second-most expensive team has not been able to showcase their true potential so far. A leadership crisis in the team could be a major reason for their below-par performances which, with the inclusion of Afridi, may no longer be the case now. The team for this season are a nice blend of young and experienced players, both in the batting and bowling departments. Batting remains the Karachi Kings’ strength, with Babar Azam, Bopara and Eoin Morgan leading the pack. It will be on Afridi and Lendl Simmons to provide the firepower. In the presence of Colin Ingram, Mohammad Rizwan and Khurram Manzoor, Imad would not have to worry much about the batting line-up’s stability. Bowling, however, should be a cause of concern for the Kings even with Mohammad Amir in their ranks. Mitchell Johnson’s withdrawal and Usman Khan Shinwari’s injury are major blows to the team. Any further injuries to their remaining bowlers would likely put the franchise in a disarray.
Quetta Gladiators are not a star-studded team, but they have emerged as the most successful one in the PSL’s short history. They have made each of the two finals so far, driven by a strong core of domestic talent and led by Pakistan’s all-format captain Sarfraz Ahmed. Not bad for the franchise that costs the least out of the six playing the tournament. In fact, Quetta Gladiators were favourites to win last year having beaten the team they would meet in the final, Peshawar Zalmi, in the play-offs. But many of their in-form overseas players did not travel to Lahore and a depleted side was soundly beaten. Quetta Gladiators have retained Sarfraz, Kevin Pietersen and Rilee Rossouw, the three pillars of their batting line-up. They have also placed faith in left-arm seamer Mir Hamza, batsman Umar Amin and all-rounder Anwar Ali, even though he had a mediocre season in 2016. Rashid Khan adds to their bowling strength as well, but the legspin sensation and the only Afghanistan player picked up in the PSL draft will not be available for the entire season. The same applies with Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah. Shane Watson, who has played 15 matches across two seasons, is their Platinum player.
In the first two seasons of the PSL, Islamabad United touched both extremes. Champions in 2016, they spent the next season embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal, the Pakistan Cricket Board handing bans to two of their players, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif. Islamabad started their 2016 campaign with four defeats in their first six matches, but gathered themselves strongly to win five straight games thereafter, including the final. They retained nearly the same bunch of players in 2017, but stumbled as the spot-fixing saga unfolded, and suffered from the absence of Andre Russell, who was serving a one-year doping ban. The side still managed to win four out eight games before being eliminated by Karachi Kings in the playoffs. This year Islamabad have a refreshed squad with a new director and mentor in Waqar Younis, with Wasim Akram parting ways to join Multan Sultans. Once part of their playing squad, Saeed Ajmal has become their spin-bowling coach. Misbahul Haq, at 43, is still playing and is set to lead the team once more. Islamabad United remain in the experienced hands of Misbah. The team have released Sam Billings, Ben Duckett, Brad Haddin, Mohammad Irfan, Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Nic Pooran, Shane Watson, Zohaib Khan, Dwayne Smith and Rafatullah. Rumman Raees has been elevated to vice-captaincy and made an ambassador. Islamabad have also brought in Iftikhar Ahmed from Peshawar Zalmi in exchange for their supplementary pick in second round of the draft. During the replacement draft, they picked up Samit Patel as cover for Asela Gunaratne – who was originally meant to replace JP Duminy. Wicketkeeper-batsman Chadwick Walton has been brought in to fill in for Sam Billings.
Peshawar Zalmi have been the most consistent side since the Pakistan Super League began two years ago. They’ve finished top of the table both seasons, and although a blip in the qualifiers meant they missed out on a place in the final in 2016, they made amends in bombastic style last year. After comfortably beating Karachi Kings to make it through to the final, they dismantled Quetta Gladiators, romping to the title with a 58-run victory. They were fortunate in that the entirety of their foreign contingent, spearheaded by a talismanic Darren Sammy, decided to come to Lahore for the final. Quetta Gladiators’ foreign players decided against travelling, and the gulf in quality was palpable. Peshawar Zalmi have retained the spine of the squad that won them the title last year. The most significant draft activity was the signing of Dwayne Bravo, who missed the PSL last year. Tamim Iqbal, whom they didn’t retain, was picked up in the draft, effectively meaning ten players from last year’s squad have been retained. The immensely popular Darren Sammy will continue to captain the defending champions. Clearly, Peshawar Zalmi are sticking to the winning formula.
PSL a lifeline of Pakistan cricket: The PSL does not boast the glamour of the Indian Premier League (IPL) or that of the Big Bash of Australia, or the history of England’s T20 competition, but it is no less significant. It has emerged as a lifeline for Pakistan cricket. The PSL is providing emerging as well as established cricketers with a lucrative opportunity to display their Twenty20 talent during the extravaganza. The PSL bodes well for Pakistan’s cricketing future, with a whole new generation of players set to be exposed to high-intensity cricket from a comparatively young age. The PSL is not just about cricket. It is something bigger than the game especially in Pakistan where the standard of national T20 cricket is much lower than the rest of the world. In coming years, the PSL is all set to take cricket of this country to the next level.
SQUADS:
Multan Sultans: Shoaib Malik (capt), Kieron Pollard, Kumar Sangakarra, Imran Tahir, Junaid Khan, Darren Bravo, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Sohaib Maqsood, Irfan Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Nicholas Pooran, Abdullah Shafique, Saif Badar, Hardus Viljoen, Umar Gul, Ross Whiteley, Umar Siddiq, Shan Masood and Thisara Perera.
Lahore Qalandars: Brendon McCullum (capt), Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Mustafizur Rahman, Umar Akmal, Anton Devcich, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Yasir Shah, Cameron Delport, Aamer Yamin, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Khan, Bilal Asif, Raza Hasan, Sohail Akhtar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ghulam Mudassar, Mitchell McClenaghan, Gulraiz Sadaf, Imran Khan Jr and Salman Irshad.
Karachi Kings: Imad Wasim (captain), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Ravi Bopara, Usman Khan Shinwari, Usama Mir, Khurram Manzoor, Colin Ingram, Tymal Mills, Joe Denly, David Wiese, Tabish Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Hasan Mohsin, Lendl Simmons, Eoin Morgan and Saifullah Bangash.
Quetta Gladiators: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Kevin Pietersen, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Nawaz, Anwar Ali, Mahmudullah, Umar Amin, Mir Hamza, Asad Shafiq, Shane Watson, Rahat Ali, Rameez Raja jnr, Saad Ali, Saud Shakeel, Hassan Khan, Jason Roy, Rashid Khan, Azam Khan, Faraz Ahmed Khan and Jofra Archer.
Islamabad United: Misbahul Haq (capt), Alex Hales, Asif Ali, JP Duminy, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Amad Butt, Andre Russell, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Hussain Talat, Steven Finn, Sam Billings, Luke Ronchi, Mohammad Hasan, Rohail Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Rumman Raees (vice captain), Samuel Badree, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Hasnain, Samit Patel and Chadwick Walton.
Peshawar Zalmi: Darren Sammy (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal, Hasan Ali, Haris Sohail, Chris Jordan, Dwayne Bravo, Tamim Iqbal, Hammad Azam, Mohammad Asghar, Saad Nasim, Taimoor Sultan, Sameen Gul, Ibtisam Sheikh, Andre Fletcher, Rikki Wessels, Khalid Usman, Mohammad Arif, Khushdil Shah, Liam Dawson and Umaid Asif.
Published in Daily Times, February 22nd 2018.
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