The stage is set for PSL 8 to give cricket fans a good time.
The new season of the exciting Pakistan Super League (PSL) is almost here to give cricket fans something to look forward to.
The much-anticipated PSL season 8 starts in less than 24 hours, and the top six teams are all ready to play.
Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars, the winners of the last season, will meet again in the first game of the new PSL season, but not before a big opening ceremony.
From PSL 7, a picture of Lahore Qalandars. — LahoreQalandars
From PSL 7, a picture of Lahore Qalandars. — LahoreQalandars
The PSL 8 games will take place in four big cities. The 34 games will be split between the cities of Multan, Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. All six teams are full of stars, but only the four best teams that do well in the league stages will be able to move on to the playoff stages.
How each team compares
On paper, Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United, and Multan Sultans look like the best teams because they have a good mix of young and old players.
At the same time, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, and Peshawar Zalmi all have big names from outside Pakistan who will entertain the crowds at PSL 8.
Lahore Qalandars has a great mix of local and international players who can change how a match is going when things aren’t going well. The Qalandars’ best weapons are held by Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Harry Brook, and Liam Dawson.
Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, and Tim David are just a few of the Multan Sultans’ hard-hitting batters. They also have a smart captain in Mohammad Rizwan, who is able to keep the team together with his wise leadership.
The two-time champions, Islamabad United, have some great international players like Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, and Colin Munro, who are known for their aggressive batting.
Shadab Khan, United’s captain, is also in good form and plays a key role on the team as an all-rounder.
Karachi Kings will probably miss Babar Azam this season, since he is one of the best batters in the world right now. In his absence, the Kings will need people like Shoaib Malik and captain Imad Wasim to step up.
Karachi also has Mohammad Amir and Mir Hamza, who are both dangerous pacers who can make things hard for the other team.
Babar Azam is a key player to watch.
Babar will try to lead Zalmi from the front in the new season so that Peshawar can win the elusive PSL title. After leaving Karachi Kings before the draught last year, Zalmi’s management would hope that Babar’s batting skills and leadership will inspire his new team.
Babar has scored the most runs in the PSL. He has scored 2,413 runs in 68 games. He has played in the tournament before for both Islamabad United and Karachi Kings, and his best score is 80.
Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman, who plays for the Lahore Qalandars and is known for his aggressive batting, could be dangerous for other teams if he wants to make a strong comeback after being injured for a long time.
Fakhar has scored the most runs in the PSL so far, after Babar and Kamran. The Qalandars’ most important batter has scored 1,939 runs in 63 PSL games. He is a key player for his team because he helped them win the championship for the first time in 2022 by running the most.
Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan, who keeps wickets and hits, has done very well in T20s and could be a threat to other teams in PSL 8. Rizwan usually doesn’t let his team down with his ability to hit hard. In 59 PSL games, the Sultans captain has already scored 1,446 runs.
Iftikhar Ahmed
After hitting six sixes in one over against Wahah Riaz in a PSL 8 exhibition game in Quetta, “Ifti Mania” has become the talk of the town. Iftikhar Ahmed, a key batter for Quetta, has played very well in recent years. This was clear in the most recent season of the Bangladesh Premier League.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is the captain of the Lahore Qalandars, hopes to get back on track after he healed from a knee injury. The tall pacer is Qalandars’ best bowler. His sharp bowling and great leadership helped Lahore win the championship.
Shaheen has taken the third most wickets in the PSL, after Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali. He has played 50 times for Lahore Qalandars and has taken 70 wickets.
Squads in Islamabad
Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abrar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zamir, Hassan Nawaz, Moeen Ali (available (partial replacement for Moeen Ali).
Karachi Kings
Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, Aamir Yamin, Mir Hamza, Sharjeel Khan, Qasim Akram, Matthew Wade, Imran Tahir, James Vince, James Fuller, Andrew Tye, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mohammad Umar, Ben Cutting, Musa Khan, Faisal Akram (part (partial replacement for James Vince)
Lahore Qalandars
Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jordan Cox, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billing
Multan Sultans
Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, Shan Masood, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tim David, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, David Miller, Josh Little, Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Sameen Gul, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Sarwar, Adil Rashid, Arafat Minhas, Kieron Pollard, Ammad Butt, Wayne Parnell (partial replacement for David Miller)
Peshawar Zalmi
Babar Azam, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseeb Ullah, Jimmy (partial replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman)
Quetta Gladiators
Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naseem Shah, Odean Smith, Ahsan Ali, Umaid Asif, Muhammad Zahid, Abdul Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Sha (partial replacement for Naveen ul Haq).
Schedule: Matches in the afternoon will start at 2pm local time, and matches in the evening will start at 7pm in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. Evening games in Multan will start at 6 p.m., except for the first game of the tournament, which will start at 8 p.m.
13 Feb – Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars, Multan Cricket Stadium
14 February: Peshawar Zalmi vs. Karachi Kings, National Bank Cricket Arena
15 Feb – Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators, Multan Cricket Stadium
Karachi Kings play Islamabad United at the National Bank Cricket Arena on February 16.
17 Feb – Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Cricket Stadium
18 February, National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi Kings vs. Quetta Gladiators
19 February: Multan Sultans vs. Islamabad United at Multan Cricket Stadium; Karachi Kings vs. Lahore Qalandars at National Bank Cricket Arena
20 February, National Bank Cricket Arena, Quetta Gladiators vs. Peshawar Zalmi
21 February, National Bank Cricket Arena, Quetta Gladiators vs. Lahore Qalandars
22 Feb – Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings, Multan Cricket Stadium
23 February, National Bank Cricket Arena, Peshawar Zalmi vs. Islamabad United
24 February, National Bank Cricket Arena, Quetta Gladiators vs. Islamabad United
26 Feb – Karachi Kings v Multan Sultans, National Bank Cricket Arena; Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium
27 February, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Qalandars vs. Islamabad United
1 Mar – Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings, Pindi Cricket Stadium
2 Mar – Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators, Gaddafi Stadium
3 March: Pindi Cricket Stadium, Islamabad United vs. Karachi Kings
4 Mar – Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans, Gaddafi Stadium
5 March: Quetta Gladiators vs. Islamabad United at Pindi Cricket Stadium
6 Mar – Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings, Pindi Cricket Stadium
7 Mar – Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars, Pindi Cricket Stadium; Islamabad United v Multan Sultans, Pindi Cricket Stadium
8 March: Peshawar Zalmi vs. Quetta Gladiators, Pakistan Women’s League Exhibition Match 1, Pindi Cricket Stadium
9 March: Lahore Qalandars vs. Islamabad United at Pindi Cricket Stadium
10 March: Pakistan Women’s League Exhibition Match 2, Pindi Cricket Stadium; Peshawar Zalmi vs. Multan Sultans, Pindi Cricket Stadium
11 March: Quetta Gladiators vs. Multan Sultans, Pakistan Women’s League Exhibition Match 3, Pindi Cricket Stadium.
12 Mar – Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi, Pindi Cricket Stadium; Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings, Gaddafi Stadium
15 Mar – Qualifier (1 v 2), Gaddafi Stadium
16 Mar – Eliminator 1 (3 v 4), Gaddafi Stadium
Eliminator 2 (Qualifier loser vs. winner of Eliminator 1), March 17, Gaddafi Stadium
19 Mar – Final, Gaddafi Stadium