Tag: Pakistan Super League

LAHORE: Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim asserted that his side had all the bases covered for the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League, saying they have more match winners this time rather than the players who play for personal records. 

Imad, who has previously captained Kings in four seasons and led his side to their maiden title win in the 2020 edition of the PSL, said their overseas pick for this year had been phenomenal, especially the addition of Mathew Wade gave the side a perfect balance.

“The reason to bring Mathew Wade is that he can bat at the top order and has the ability to finish the game as well. Plus he is a wicket-keeper which really benefits our team,” he said in the latest episode of PCB Podcast released on Tuesday.

The 2020 PSL-winning captain maintains that it does not matter how a team looks on paper, the only thing that matters is how you are going to play about it and play the right way the T20 should be played.

“This year we try to have more match winners rather than the players who play for personal goals” he added.

“PSL is one of the best leagues in the world, which is very close to our hearts. We wait for this league for 10 months during which we prepare, plan and set goals. Then, we enter into this great event to achieve our collective objectives, help our sides win and this cycle continues.”

Revealing his plans for the PSL season 8, Imad said, their idea was to aim one goal at a time.

“We will go step-by-step and match-by-match in this tournament with our first target being to secure a place in the playoffs.

“One of the best things about this PSL is we will have home matches. So, we are aiming to make the best use of our first five matches at home and build the momentum that can carry us into the play-offs.” he added.

“This year, every side is equally balanced and it is difficult to predict an outright winner. All sides boast some outstanding talent and they will enter the event with different combinations and strengths. This clearly reflects how the PSL has evolved and why it has now become an extremely challenging and exciting league.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the mega event will kick off in Multan on February 13 with a grand ceremony followed by the opening encounter between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans.

Karachi Kings, however, will play their first match of PSL 8 against Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi on February 14 at National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.

READ: Peshawar Zalmi head coach Sammy reaches Karachi for PSL 8

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi head coach Daren Sammy reached Karachi on Monday for the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League, starting from February 13. 

PSL season 8 will kick off in Multan with a grand ceremony and the opening match between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans.

Peshawar Zalmi, however, will play Karachi Kings at National Bank Cricket Arena on February 14 in their first game.

Sammy has been an integral part of Peshawar Zalmi, first as a player and then as their coach since the inception of the PSL in 2016. He has been the head coach of the side since 2020.

The former West Indies captain is one of the most admired overseas players in Pakistan for his commitment to the PSL and the franchise.

He was also conferred with Sitara-i-Pakistan, a prestigious civil award, by the President of Pakistan for his contributions to the revival of international cricket in the country.

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LAHORE: Left-handed aggressive Karachi Kings opener Sharjeel Khan opened up on his approach towards the batting powerplay in T20s ahead of the upcoming eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Kings’ Sharjeel, who is widely known for his ruthless attack with the bat on the opposition, thinks that the batting powerplay in T20 cricket is very crucial as it is pivotal in the outcome of the game.

“I believe 70 to 80 per cent of the match is defined by how the first six overs go. What I have learned over the years that a team which has the most boundaries wins the match, so I try to milk the first six overs,” Sharjeel was quoted saying in a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday.

“I am also looking to lay a solid platform for my side and if I continue to bat after the completion of the first six overs then I look to make sure that I carry that momentum.

“It is important not to forget the basics and try to gauge the conditions. So usually, I do try to take four balls or an over as every day is a new day and conditions are different. Whether I am facing a spinner or a pacer, the plan remains the same, examine the conditions and then go for the attack and this often proves to be beneficial for the team as well.”

Notably, Sharjeel, since his return to the PSL in 2020 has been in Karachi Kings and has hit a boundary every 4.5 ball in the marquee league.

It is pertinent to mention that the much-anticipated PSL 8 will commence with a glittering opening ceremony in Multan on February 13. The home side Multan Sultans will take on defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the curtain raiser.

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LAHORE:The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced details of ticket prices for the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League.

Online tickets for the Multan and Karachi-leg matches will be available online on Saturday at 1100 and fans can visit cricket.bookme.pk to book their tickets. Physical tickets will also be available to the fans during the course of the tournament from the box offices at the four venues. Tickets for the Rawalpindi and Lahore matches will go on sale in due course.

Tickets for the tournament opener between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and the 2021 title winners Multan Sultans at the Multan Cricket Stadium on 13 February have been set at PKR6,000 for the VIP enclosures, PKR3,000 for Premium, PKR2,000 for First Class and PKR1,000 for General.

Ticket prices for the 15 February Multan Sultans versus Quetta Gladiators match have been set for PKR2,900 (VIP), PKR1,900 (Premium), PKR950 (First Class) and PKR650 (General), while ticket prices for the remaining three matches featuring the home side have been fixed at PKR4,000 (VIP), PKR2,000 (Premium), PKR1,500 (First Class) and PKR1,000 (General).

For the non-Sunday matches in Karachi, ticket prices have been set at PKR2,900 (VIP), PKR1,900 (Premium), PKR950 and PKR650 for First Class and General Enclosures, respectively.

For Sunday, 19 February, mouth-watering match between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, ticket prices have been fixed at PKR5,000 for the VIP enclosures, PKR3,000 for the Premium, PKR2,000 in First Class and PKR1,000 in General. For the final fixture in Karachi on Sunday, 26 February, between Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans, ticket prices have set for PKR4,000 (VIP), PKR2,000 (Premium), PKR1,500 and PKR1,000 for First Class and General Enclosures, respectively.

The PCB, for the first time, have introduced discounted season passes, which will cover weekday matches. This is to encourage cricket fans and families to purchase cheaper tickets to attend the matches and watch in action some of best shortest format cricketers vying for the biggest price in Pakistan cricket.

Season pass for the four Multan matches (excluding the opener) has been set for PKR16,830 (VIP), PKR9,630 (Premium), PKR5,715 (First Class) and PKR3,555 (General).

Likewise, season pass for the five Karachi matches on 16, 20, 21, 23 and 24 February, has been fixed at PKR13,050 (VIP), PKR8,550 (Premium), PKR4,275 (First Class) and PKR2,925 (General).

The PCB has also confirmed one ticket can be purchased on one CNIC.  For those who do not have CNIC, they can purchase the tickets using the passport, while those under the age of 18 will require B-Form. All spectators will be required to bring the government-issued ID through which they have bought the tickets.

ENCLOSURE NAMES:

Multan

VIP – Imran Khan, Fazal Mahmood

Premium – Zaheer Abbad, Javed Miandad

First Class – Elahi, Wasim Akram

General – Hanif Mohammad, Mushtaq Ahmed

Karachi

VIP – Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad

Premium – Imran Khan, Quaid, Wasim Akram

First Class Asif Iqbal, Intikhab Alam, Iqbal Qasim, Mohammad Brothers, Nasimul Ghani, Zaheer Abbas

General – Majid Khan, Waqar Hasan, Wasim Bari

LAHORE: Young middle-order batter Muhammad Irfan Khan has set his sights to learn from his idol veteran Shoaib Malik during his stint for Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) most followed franchise Karachi Kings in the upcoming eighth edition.

Irfan, a product of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) age-group programme, is aiming to perform well in his maiden PSL season while also looking forward to interacting with his idol Malik and learning valuable batting tips from him.

“Getting selected for the first time in the PSL is certainly a satisfying feeling. I want to perform well in this tournament as the PSL stage propels you to the limelight and you can boost your case for selection in the national team,” said Irfan.

“In Karachi Kings, I will have the opportunity of interacting with my cricketing idol Shoaib Malik, who has a lot of experience playing for Pakistan and in leagues around the globe. He is also a middle-order batter like me so I will definitely use the opportunity to learn from him,” he added.

The 20-year-old further termed former Peshawar Zalmi’s captain Darren Sammy’s heroics against Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2018 his favourite moment as the latter led his team to triumph after a tricky run chase despite the injury.

“Daren Sammy’s heroics for Peshawar Zalmi in the HBL PSL 2018 match against Quetta Gladiators was a memorable moment. He was unfit during the chase but still helped Peshawar win the match at a time when they required 16 off 7 balls,” Irfan concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that Irfan has represented Pakistan in two ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups in 2020 and 2022.

The right-handed batter accumulated 141 runs in nine innings in the National T20 2022-23 at a strike rate of 153.26 with a 31-ball 57 against Balochistan being the highlight of his campaign.

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KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators’ captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is aiming to benefit from his exceptional form with the bat as the wicketkeeper batter announced to bat up the order for his side in the upcoming eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Sarfaraz, in a media interaction on Thursday, shared that he wants to lead the Gladiators from the front and set an example by taking responsibility himself and thus announced that the right-handed batter will promote his batting order in the upcoming season.

“I will be batting at number three or four this season for Gladiators and will try to give my best for the team,” shared Sarfaraz.

The former Pakistan captain also expressed his hope for a better performance by his side, who has failed to make it to the Playoffs for three consecutive seasons after winning the title in 2019.

“We are hopeful of a better overall effort by the team. We are lucky to have many talented players in our squad this season. We have a good combination of local and foreign players,” Sarfaraz added.

It is pertinent to mention that the much-anticipated PSL 8 will commence with a glittering opening ceremony in Multan on February 13. The home side Multan Sultans will take on defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the curtain raiser.

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LONDON: More England cricketers are likely to follow Alex Hales’ footsteps of prioritizing franchise league cricket over their side’s scheduled tour of Bangladesh due to lucrative contracts, English newspaper The Telegraph reported.

According to the report, three more English players – Lahore Qalandars’ Sam Billings and Liam Dawson and Karachi Kings’ James Vince – are likely to offer their full participation in the ongoing eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) instead of preferring national duty.

England will tour Bangladesh for three T20Is and as many ODIs from March 1-14, while the PSL will take place from February 13 to March 19.

“Alex Hales will not be included in the squad for Bangladesh as he is set to remain at the Pakistan Super League where he has a lucrative deal. It is understood Sam Billings, Liam Dawson and James Vince will do the same,” the report stated.

“England are happy for their non-contracted players to pursue franchise opportunities with the likes of Billings, Dawson and Vince having spent plenty of time around the England setup since 2015, without being regulars in the XI.

“Players opting not to play for England has raised further questions over England’s contracting structures and, with franchises increasingly powerful, whether greater weight should be given to tour and match fees (currently around £5,000 and £2,500 for ODIs and T20Is respectively) rather than retainers.”

The report added that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) selection committee will name the squad for the tour of Bangladesh, this week.

It is pertinent to mention that the much-anticipated PSL 8 will commence with a glittering opening ceremony in Multan. The home side Multan Sultans will take on defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the curtain raiser.

READ: National Women’s Amateur Golf Championship to kick off on February 3 

KARACHI: Star all-rounder Shahid Afridi will represent Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi in an exhibition match against Quetta Gladiators at Quetta’s Bugti Stadium on February 5. 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in collaboration with the Balochistan government, opted to host an exhibition match between the two Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams in a build-up to the upcoming eighth edition.

According to the details, Zalmi’s newly-appointed captain Babar Azam will be joined by star all-rounder Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Danish Aziz and Saim Ayub.

The King of the North returns to #YellowStorm⚡@SAfridiOfficial will represent Peshawar Zalmi once again in an exhibition match 💛

Stay Tuned‼#Zalmi #ZKingdom #ZalmiDeluxe pic.twitter.com/JgijS0LNih

— Peshawar Zalmi (@PeshawarZalmi) January 27, 2023

 

Whereas, the Gladiators’ side will feature skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain.

Notably, the chairman of the PCB management committee Najam Sethi had announced to host the PSL 8 matches in Quetta’s Bugti Stadium, subject to clearance from law enforcement agencies.

However, Sethi then announced that Quetta’s Bugti Stadium could not get time to be fully prepared to host PSL matches but the PCB will arrange a couple of exhibition matches in the city.

Consequently, the Gladiators will now be in action in front of their home crowd for the first time on February 5, which is observed as Kashmir Day in the country.

It is pertinent to mention that the upcoming eighth edition of PSL will embark on February 13 with defending champions Lahore Qalandars taking on former champions Multan Sultans in the curtain-raiser. The final of the marquee event will take place on March 19 in Lahore.

READ: Conway, Mitchell help New Zealand down India in T20 opener

LAHORE: All six Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises beefed up their squads in the replacement draft that took place over a conference call on Wednesday.

The six teams added players to their squads in the third and fourth supplementary pick rounds before naming replacements for the players who were partially or fully unavailable. Each side could pick a maximum of one foreign cricketer in the two supplementary rounds.

Peshawar Zalmi, who had reserved their pick in the second supplementary round in the HBL PSL 8 Player Draft in December, picked fast bowler Khurram Shahzad.

In the first pick of the third supplementary round, Peshawar Zalmi picked Haris Sohail, who recently made a comeback to the Pakistan ODI side.

Lahore Qalandars, who had the second pick, named Ahsan Bhatti, a left-arm spin all-rounder and product of their player development programme. Islamabad United and Karachi Kings picked Tom Curran and Ben Cutting, who played for Peshawar Zalmi last season, respectively. Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans, who had the fifth and sixth picks, included Qais Ahmed and Kieron Pollard, who has previously turned out for Karachi Kings.

The fourth supplementary round followed the reverse order in which Multan Sultans took Ammad Butt, who was with Peshawar Zalmi in the last edition. Quetta Gladiators picked Saud Shakeel. Karachi Kings and Islamabad United picked Musa Khan, who was previously in Islamabad United, and Zafar Gohar, while Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi reserved their picks.

Teams strengthen rosters in #HBLPSL8 replacement draft.

Read more: https://t.co/Si21yM9WIS#SabSitarayHumaray pic.twitter.com/i6trwKRF8o

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) January 25, 2023

The six franchises also named replacements for the players who are partially or fully unavailable.

In the Platinum category, Lahore Qalandars picked Sam Billings for Rashid Khan; Peshawar Zalmi replaced Rovman Powell with Richard Gleeson; Islamabad United picked Gus Atkinson and Tymal Mills for Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Alex Hales. Multan Sultan replaced David Miller with Izharulhaq Naveed. Quetta reserved their pick for Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga.

In the Diamond category, Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi reserved their picks for Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb ur Rehman; Quetta Gladiators picked Dwaine Pretorius and Will Jacks for Odean Smith and Jason Roy.

Multan Sultan reserved their replacements for Akeal Hosein and Tim David in the Gold category.

In the Silver category, Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars replaced Naveen ul Haq with Nuwan Thushara and Harry Brook with Shane Dadswell.

In the supplementary picks, Lahore Qalandars’ Jordan Cox was replaced with Kusal Mendis, Multan Sultans’ Adil Rashid with Wayne Parnell and Karachi Kings’ Tabraiz Shamsi with Faisal Akram. Islamabad United reserved their pick for Moeen Ali.

Rovman Powell, David Miller, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein and Tabraiz Shamsi will potentially be unavailable to their franchises from 8 March onwards due to bilateral limited overs series between the West Indies and South Africa.

Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Jason Roy are potentially unavailable because of the England versus Bangladesh limited overs series to their franchises from 26 February till 14 March. Alex Hales will join the HBL PSL 8 from 26 February onwards. Tim David will join the tournament from 3 March. Jordan Cox will be available to Lahore Qalandars from 21 February as he is on the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka. Wanindu Hasaranga will leave the tournament from 3 March.

Afghanistan cricketers may become unavailable to their teams for brief duration due to potential international commitment.

Supplementary and replacements picks on Wednesday (25 January 2023):

Peshawar Zalmi – Supplementary: Khurram Shahzad and Haris Sohail. Replacement:  Richard Gleeson

Lahore Qalandars – Supplementary: Ahsan Bhatti. Replacement: Sam Billings, Shane Dadswell and Kusal Mendis

Islamabad United – Supplementary: Tom Curran and Zafar Gohar. Replacement: Gus Atkinson and Tymal Mills

Karachi Kings – Supplementary: Ben Cutting and Musa Khan. Replacement: Faisal Akram

Quetta Gladiators – Supplementary: Qais Ahmed and Saud Shakeel. Replacement: Dwaine Pretorius, Will Jacks and Nuwan Thushara

Multan Sultans – Supplementary: Kieron Pollard and Ammad Butt. Replacement: Wayne Parnell and Izharulhaq Naveed.

LAHORE: All six franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have strengthened their squads for the upcoming eighth edition in the Players’ Draft held here today.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Round 3

Peshawar Zalmi: Haris Sohail

Lahore Qalandars: Kusal Mendis

Islamabad United: Tom Curran

Karachi Kings: Ben Cutting

Quetta Gladiators: Qais Ahmed

Multan Sultans: Kieron Pollard

Round 4

Multan Sultans: Amad Butt

Quetta Gladiators: Reserved

Karachi Kings: Musa Khan

Islamabad United: Zafar Gohar

Lahore Qalandars: Ahsan Bhatti

Peshawar Zalmi: Khurram Shehzad

Partial Replacements

Multan Sultans: Wayne Parnell, Izharulhaq Naveed

Islamabad United: Tymall Mills, Gus Atkinson

Lahore Qalandars: Sam Billings, Shane Dadswell

NOTE: Franchises are arranged in accordance with their pick order in each category.