The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a series of Twenty20 cricket matches played by national and international cricketers of the world. After much effort and to the joy of Pakistani cricket fanatics, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) successfully announced the launch of PSL in the September of 2015 in Lahore. It was played for the first time on February 4, 2016, in the United Arab Emirates.

The franchises in the PSL are owned and managed by different investors and the players are recruited using a draft system. The cricket matches are played in a round-robin format, which means that each team plays against all the teams in turn and the ones with the least wins are eliminated. Then, the qualified four teams play against each other in the playoffs for the final championship match, the PSL Cup Final.

Initially, there were five teams in the PSL named after the capital cities of Pakistan namely, Islamabad United, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi, and Quetta Gladiators. However, a sixth team, Multan Sultans, was later introduced in 2017. The current team captains are Mohammad Sami, Muhammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Darren Sammy, Sarfaraz Ahmad, and Shoaib Malik respectively.

In the first season of PSL, all the matches were held in UAE due to the deficient security situation of Pakistan. The finale was won by the Islamabad United which was played against the Quetta Gladiators. The match was played in Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Ravinder Singh Bopara of Karachi Kings was named ‘Player of the series’. The second season of PSL was again held in the UAE, except for the final match which took place in Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, Pakistan in 2017. Peshawar Zalmi won the PSL Cup final with Quetta Gladiators placing runner-up for the second time. Kamran Akmal of Peshawar Zalmi was awarded ‘Player of the series’.

The third season of PSL took place last year in 2018. The final match was held in National Stadium in Karachi, and Islamabad United won the PSL Cup. Peshawar Zalmi was runner up and Luke Ronchi of Islamabad United was awarded ‘Player of the series’. Three of the matches were played in Pakistan which was a huge achievement for the PCB for bringing international cricket back into the country.

The people of Pakistan have once again stood up to welcome the fourth season of Pakistan Super League 2019 with incomparable enthusiasm. The opening ceremony and the first match of the season were played on February 14, 2019, in Dubai, between Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars. The six teams will play a total of 34 matches and the final will be played on March 17, 2019.

Primarily, most of the matches will be played in the UAE but the league will travel to Pakistan on March 7 for its final eight matches. This is a very important move for Pakistan as not only will it become a source of generating more revenue, but also prove to play a vast role in portraying a positive and peaceful image of the country to the world. This will help in breaking the perception of Pakistan being an unsafe country, thus inviting international interest. According to the Daily Times, the Chairman of PCB, Ahsan Mani has vowed to bring the Pakistan Super League to Pakistan entirely in the next three years by slowly increasing the number of matches taking place in the country.

The Pakistan Super League is a major accomplishment of PCB in more than one ways. The recruitment of new and young players and giving them international exposure will strengthen the Pakistani cricket team in the future. The players receive firsthand experience in dealing with international players and get coached by international coaches, hence growing as professional sportsmen. Furthermore, for the Pakistani cricket maniacs, it is a reason to celebrate and indulge in cricket affairs. It is also a great way to generate revenue and give a push to the country’s economy. Therefore, the league is not just a treat for Pakistani cricket but also for the general public of Pakistan.

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Serwat Fatima is a design graduate from Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design. She belongs to Quetta and has interests in arts and design, creative writing and current affairs.

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