RAWALPINDI – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to host the marquee tournament – Pakistan Super League’s 10th edition – with a spectacular ceremony at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The tournament will be held in four stadiums from April 11 to May 18, offering cricket lovers in the country exciting matches between six star-studded teams.
The marquee event comprising 34 matches will be played at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Multan Cricket Stadium and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The final is scheduled to take place at Gaddafi Stadium on May 18.
As the Pakistan cricket team has been going through a lean patch for quite some time, several players will have an opportunity to regain form and make it big with stellar performances.
The opening match of the tournament will be played between defending champions Islamabad United and two-time winner Lahore Qalandars, with the first ball to be bowled at 8.30pm.
SCINTILLATING OPENING CEREMONY
The opening ceremony at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will feature an array of exciting performances from Sufi music artist Abida Parveen along with Ali Zafar and a contemporary performance by Young Stunners.
In addition, the singers of the PSL 10 anthem song Abrarul Haq, Ali Zafar, Natasha Baig and Talha Anjum will also perform.
Fans will also be treated to a spectacular firework display during the event.
PSL Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer says they are thrilled to officially announce the schedule for the historic PSL 10.
“Over the past decade, the HBL PSL has grown into a globally recognised tournament, showcasing the best of Pakistan’s cricketing talent.”
The fans in this year’s tournament will not only see high-profile international cricketers but will also witness 34 high-octane matches across four major cities – Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, he says.
“As part of our commitment to expanding the reach of the HBL PSL, we are delighted to host an exhibition match in Peshawar before the start of the tournament, which is a significant step in bringing top-tier cricket to Peshawar, a city with a deep-rooted love for the game.
PLAYER TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
Information gleaned from PCB and PSL websites shows exciting features of the latest edition of the event.
“The HBL Pakistan Super League is set to elevate the viewing experience for fans with the introduction of Player Tracking Technology, which will keep a ball-by-ball record of various aspects of the play.
“The players’ movements including fielders’ coordinates, bowler run-ups and batting stances on the field will be tracked frame-by-frame on each delivery,” says a report.
It says the data gathered from each ball will be presented on the screen in the form of various statistical graphics providing fans a cutting-edge insight into the game from time to time.
Some of the key features of the Player Tracking Technology include zone-based performance analysis for the fielders, scoring-zone integration for the batters, ball-catching analysis on caught dismissals and a breakdown of field placements in accordance with the recorded strengths and weaknesses of the fielders.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The PCB earlier announced the match officials for the super league event. Thirteen umpires and seven match referees will be involved in 30 matches.
The match officials for the qualifier, two eliminators and final will be announced in due course.
Elite Panel of ICC Umpires – Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel and Kumar Dharmasena are among the 13 umpires officiating in the six-team tournament. Also included are Alex Wharf and Chris Brown.
From Pakistan, Aleem Dar, Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Khan Afridi and Rashid Riaz Waqar are part of the PCB International Panel of Umpires.
Abdul Moqeet, Nasir Hussain, Tariq Rasheed and Zulfiqar Jan – part of PCB Elite Panel of Umpires – will also officiate matches during this edition of the PSL.
Among the match referees, ICC Elite Panel of Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle will officiate matches alongside his fellow Sri Lankan Roshan Mahanama.
Also serving as match referees are Ali Naqvi and Muhammad Javed Malik – both from the PCB International Panel of Match Referees.
Iftikhar Ahmed, Iqbal Sheikh and Nadeem Arshad will also officiate during the tournament.
WHO WILL COMMENTATE?
Former England Test captain Sir Alastair Cook is all set to make his PSL debut behind the mic as the PCB announced a star-studded commentary panel.
Cook will be joined by former MCC president Mark Nicholas – a renowned voice in cricket commentary since retiring from competitive cricket in 1995. Joining Cook and Nicholas are fellow countrymen Dominic Cork and Mark Butcher, while South Africa’s Jean-Paul Duminy and Mike Haysman will also be part of the panel.
From Bangladesh, it will be Athar Ali Khan, and he will be joined by New Zealand’s former Test cricketer Martin Guptill.
Australia’s two-time ICC Women’s World Cup winner Lisa Sthalekar will also lend her voice to the tournament.
Four former Test captains – Aamir Sohail, Ramiz Raja, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram – will lead the commentary team from Pakistan. Waqar and Wasim are both ICC and PCB Hall of Famers as well.
They will be joined by former Test cricketer Bazid Khan, former Pakistan women’s team captain Urooj Mumtaz and cricket analyst Sikander Bakht.
URDU COMMENTARY
In a momentous move, this edition of the PSL will also feature a full match broadcast in Urdu commentary for the first time.
The Urdu commentary panel includes Ali Younis, Aqeel Samar, Marina Iqbal, Salman Butt and Tariq Saeed, who will be joined by Pakistan’s commentators for selected segments.
Erin Holland and Zainab Abbas will be the presenters during the league matches.
PSL 10 SCHEDULE
April 11 – Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
April 12 – Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium; Karachi Kings v Multan Sultans, National Bank Stadium, Karachi
April 13 – Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
April 14– Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
April 15 – Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars, National Bank Stadium, Karachi
April 16 – Islamabad United v Multan Sultans, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
April 18 – Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators, National Bank Stadium, Karachi
April 19 – Peshawar Zalmi v Multan Sultans, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
April 20 – Karachi Kings v Islamabad United, National Bank Stadium, Karachi
April 21 – Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi, National Bank Stadium, Karachi
April 22 – Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars, Multan Cricket Stadium
April 23 – Multan Sultans v Islamabad United, Multan Cricket Stadium
April 24 – Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
April 25 – Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
April 26 – Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
April 27 – Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
April 29 – Quetta Gladiators v Multan Sultans, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
April 30 – Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
May 1 – Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings, Multan Cricket Stadium; Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
May 2 – Peshawar Zalmi v Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
May 3 – Quetta Gladiators v Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
May 4 – Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
May 5 – Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Cricket Stadium
May 7 – Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
May 8 – Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
May 9 – Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
May 10 – Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators, Multan Cricket Stadium; Islamabad United v Karachi Kings, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
May 13 – Qualifier 1, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
May 14 – Eliminator 1, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
May 16 – Eliminator 2, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
May 18 – Final, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
