Istafa Ali
The opening match of the ninth PSL edition is scheduled to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore today (Saturday), featuring two-time champions Lahore Qalandars (2022 and 2023) against two-time champion Islamabad United (2016 and 2018).
The exciting battle between the two teams is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.
The afternoon match of the doubleheader will start at 2:00 pm, and the evening match’s first ball will be bowled at 7:00 pm. The Ramadan bouts will kick off at nine o’clock in the evening.
It is important to note that the PSL’s first opening ceremony will take place at the Lahore stadium.
Aima Baig and Ali Zafar will captivate the crowd
Pop band Noori, well-known performer Arif Lohar, Natasha Baig, and the vocalists of the PSL 9 anthem, Ali Zafar and Aima Baig, will all be performing live during the ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 630 p.m. In addition, fans will be treated to an amazing laser show and fireworks.
34 matches of the main event of the tournament will be held in four cities: Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi.
Nine matches are scheduled for Lahore Stadium, five of which will be played on home soil by Qalandars.
Five matches, all Multan Sultans games, will take place at the scenic Multan Cricket Stadium. The league’s first leg will take place in Lahore and Multan from February 17–27. After that, Karachi and Rawalpindi will host action.
From March 2 to 10, nine matches will take place in Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium. United will play in five of the games. Quetta Gladiators will play three of their ten games in the Pindi Cricket Stadium, while Peshawar Zalmi will play four of their games in Rawalpindi.
There will be 11 games in Karachi’s National Bank Stadium, culminating on March 18 with the grand finale. Gladiators will get to play at least three games at the stadium, while the home team Karachi Kings would get to play at least five games there.
Captains’s thought
“I have been captain of Islamabad United for the last four seasons, and I want to lift the trophy for my team this season,” stated Shadab Khan, the captain of the team.
“The Shah brothers and Imad Wasim are a tremendous asset to the franchise. Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf are two essential members of our team. In tight games, I want my side to maintain composure and cross the boundary.
He added they had assessed the mistakes they had made in the previous season and were eager to carry out their plans appropriately this time around.
“To represent and lead my hometown team Karachi in the PSL is such a huge honour,” said Shan Masood, captain of the Kings.
“The Karachi Kings are rebuilding, and our goal is to assemble a core group of young players who can play for the team for the next five years.”
Given that the tournament’s final round was scheduled to take place in Karachi, he said they had a strong chance of succeeding.
“I am genuinely excited to be leading Lahore Qalandars for the third consecutive season in the PSL and the pursuit of a hat-trick of titles makes me eager to do well,” stated Shaheen Shah Afridi of Qalandars.
He claimed that his squad was aiming for their third PSL title and that he could guarantee the fans that they will play with the same fervour as they had the previous two years.
“Our games in Lahore are going to be packed, and the Lahore Qalandars are proud of having a strong fan base,” he continued.
“PSL is a world-class league and we are all proud to be a part of this league,” stated Sultans captain Muhammad Rizwan.
He said Sultans’ constant success was partly due to Multan’s pacers and developing players, who had dominated the previous two seasons.
According to Rizwan, they have a solid roster this season and will try to keep up the same calibre.
“Hopefully, the Multan crowds will once again support us with the same enthusiasm this year. They have given us a lot of love over the last two seasons,” he continued.
“Peshawar Zalmi has been one of the most exciting sides in PSL history, and with our current squad we are well poised to emerge as champions this season,” Zalmi skipper Babar Azam declared.
He claimed that Zalmi had an advantage over other teams since some of the players were exceptionally skilled and gifted in both the batting and bowling categories.
“The opportunity to lead a side in PSL doesn’t come around often and it is such an honour for me,” Gladiators captain Rilee Rossouw remarked.
This season, I clearly want to win the PSL 9. We’ll make an effort to turn it into a high-performance venue.
He went on to say that he believed Gladiators would do best in Karachi and Lahore, where they would try to score the maximum points.
Squads
In preparation for the competition, which begins tomorrow, the six competing teams have strengthened their 20-person squads.
Islamabad United
Naseem Shah, Obed McCoy, Qasim Akram, Rumman Raees, Salman Ali Agha, Colin Munro, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Jordan Cox, Matthew Forde, Mohammad Waseem, Naseeb Khan, captain Shadab Khan, and Tymal Mills
Ubaid Shah, Shamyl Hussain, and Hunain Shah are emerging.
The Karachi Kings
Anwar Ali, Arafat Minhas, Blessing Muzarabani, Daniel Sams, Hassan Ali, James Vince, Kieron Pollard, Leus Du Plooy, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shoaib Malik, and Tabraiz Shamsi are the players that captained Shan Masood.
Fawad Ali, Mohammad Rohid, Irfan Khan Niazi, Saad Baig, and Sirajuddin are on the rise.
Lahore Qalanders
The team that includes skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Dan Lawrence, David Wiese, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Lorcan Tucker, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Imran Jr., Rassie van der Dussen, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Fayyaz, Shai Hope, Sikandar Raza, and Zaman Khan
Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun Mahmood, and Tayyab Abbas are on the rise.
Multan Sultan
Usman Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Olly Stone, Reeza Hendricks, Shahnawaz Dahani, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Dawid Malan, Iftikhar Ahmad, Ihsanullah, Johnson Charles, and Mohammad Rizwan (captain).
Faisal Akram, Yasir Khan, and Muhammad Shahzad are on the rise.
Peshawar Zalmi
Paul Walter, Rovman Powell, Luke Wood, Mohammad Haris, Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Arif Yaqoob, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Daniel Mousley, Luke Wood, Salman Irshad, Salman Ayub, Sufyan Muqeem, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Umair Afridi, and Waqar Salamkheil
Aimal Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, and Haseebullah Khan are emerging.
Quetta Gladiators
Abrar Ahmad, Bismillah Khan, Laurie Evans, Jason Roy, Omair bin Yousuf, Sajjad Ali Jr., Sarfaraz Ahmad, Saud Shakeel, Sherfane Rutherford, Sohail Khan, Umar Amin, Usman Qadir, Usman Tariq, and Will Smeed are the players who make up the captaincy of Rilee Rossouw.
Adil Naz and Khawaja Mohammad Nafay are on the rise.
