On February 13th, the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) began with a thrilling match between the reigning champion Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, the runners-up from the previous campaign. Just behind the Indian Premier League, PSL is regarded as the second-most well-liked and lucrative cricket league in the world (IPL). The title sponsorship of the HBL PSL for the 2022–25 cycle is worth 22 million USD, whilst the media rights of the PSL were sold for a staggering 4.35 billion rupees for the years 2022 and 2023. Six teams will compete in a total of 34 games during the PSL season of 2023, with the event's championship game set for March 19th.
The supporters anticipate watching exciting games between the six clubs since they have put together squads that encompass all aspect of what makes a team. The Lahore Qalandars, the defending champions, have built their squad around Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who each took the most wickets and runs in the last PSL. The Qalandars, led by skipper Shaheen, have perhaps the finest bowling lineup in the league. For the Qalandars, Harris Rauf, Zaman Khan, and Afghan Rashid Khan are other important bowlers. With the exception of the lethal three of Fakhar, Harry Brook, and Sam Billings, the Qalandars' batting appears to be their area of weakness.
Shadab Khan's Islamabad United is renowned for making wise judgements based on player statistics and for discovering fresh stars. This year, they have interesting recruits to add to the core group of domestic and international superstars, including Zeeshan Zameer, Abrar Ahmed, Mubassir Khan, and Hasan Nawaz. With players like Hales, Munro, Russie V. Dussen, Asif Ali, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, and Moeen Ali in their arsenal, United's batting is as explosive as it can be. Despite having a skilled and experienced bowling line, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Tom Curran, and Tymal Mills are prone to giving up runs on challenging wickets. Although United's team management did a tremendous job of building a quality club, the players must now step up.
With dependable batsmen like Muhammad Rizwan and Shan Masood opening and devastating international league trotters like Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, and Khushdil Shah following, Multan Sultans have the sort of batting lineup that is great for Fantasy Leagues. Their bowlers either lack sufficient experience or are all-rounders, which may make it difficult to get wickets and halt the flow of runs. It is the sort of squad that has the potential to give up 200 points on any given day but is also capable of chasing it down later.
Last year, the Quetta Gladiators were unable to advance to the second round, but their lineup appears more balanced this time around. Iftikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Nawaz, and Naseem Shah are active local players on Sarfraz's team, while Quetta's roster is bolstered by the likes of Jason Roy, Odean Smith, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Will Jacks. In the recently finished Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Iftikhar amassed 351 runs at a strike rate of 157.39 before hammering Wahab Riaz for six sixes in an over during a festival match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators. For the Gladiators, "Ifti-Mania" and the bowling of Naseem Shah, who has taken 40 wickets in 32 games with an average of 22 since 2022, will be vital.
Since it began in 2016, PSL has served as Pakistan's main cricket talent development programme. Players like Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah, Harris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Fakhar Zaman, among others, who are currently the foundation of Pakistan cricket, were developed and cultivated through the PSL. If given the chance, several uncapped players this season can knock on the doors of the national selection. The players to watch out for include Saim Ayub of Peshawar Zalmi, Zaman Khan of Lahore Qalandars, Zeeshan Zameer of Islamabad United, Qasim Akram of Karachi Kings, and Tayyab Tahir of Karachi Kings. Southpaw Saim, a 20-year-old native of Karachi, has scored 416 runs at 155 percent in the National T20 Cup and 461 runs at 107 percent in the Pakistan Cup.
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