Pakistan Super League
Pakistan Super League is one of the biggest cricket leagues founded by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015. This T20 League is contested between 6 city-based franchise teams annually in February and March.
All six teams play in a double round-robin format, and the top four teams on the table qualify for the playoffs. The most successful teams of the Pakistan Super League from all eight seasons are Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars; each team won the PSL title twice. At the same time, Lahore Qalandars is the only team that has won two consecutive PSL titles.
History
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially announced the Pakistan Super League launch in September 2015. Waseem Akram and Ramiz Raja made a three-year contract and became the brand ambassadors to promote the league internationally. After many hardships and continuous efforts, the first season of PSL occurred on 4 February 2016. In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, only five city-based franchise teams competed in a robin format.
Instead of the auction system used in the other t20 leagues, the Pakistan Super League chooses a draft system for player recruitment used in North American professional games.
Expansion
There was a discussion about adding the 6th team, possibly Azad Kashmir, but the proposal was rejected later. At the end of 2017, PSL, the KPK governor, announced to approach the PSL management regarding six team additions, and CM Gilgit-Baltistan also proposed its team. In the end, PCB short-listed some names, including Multan, FATA, Faisalabad, and Hyderabad, for the 6th team in the next season.
At last, the sixth team, named Multan Sultans, was announced by PCB; Schon Properties purchased the team for 5.2 million dollars. But later, in 2018, PCB cancelled the contract of Schon properties, and new owner Ali Khan Tareen introduced the franchise.
PSL Schedule
Pakistan Super League takes place in February-March between winter and summer. The upcoming season of PSL is 2024 PSL 9, starting from 17 February. PCB already announced the PSL 2024 Schedule.
PSL TEAMS
For the PSL teams, more than 18 groups showed interest in buying the teams. So, in October 2015, PCB started working on accepting the tenders and gave the final deadline of 15 November for the bidding. PCB decided to give the team rights for 10 years to whoever won the bidding.
And, for 93 million Dollars, all franchises sold out before the first Season of PSL. Later, for the sixth team, PCB opened the bidding process, and more than 35 groups took part in the process. Schon Properties won the right to keep Multan Sultan for 5.2 million Dollars. Later, PCB canceled the contract with Schon Groups and gave the ownership of Multan Sultans to Ali Khan Tareen.
| City | Team | Owner | Captain | Coach | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karachi | Karachi Kings | Fawad Rana | Shan Masood | Phil Simmons | 2015 |
| Lahore | Lahore Qalandars | v27.8.1 | Shaheen Afridi | Aaqib Javed | 2015 |
| Islamabad | Islamabad United | Leonine Global Sports | Shadab Khan | Mike Hesson | 2015 |
| Multan | Multan Sultans | Ali Tareen | Mohammad Rizwan | Abdul Rehman | 2017 |
| Quetta | Quetta Gladiators | Nadeem Omar | Rilee Rossouw | Shane Watson | 2015 |
| Peshawar | Peshawar Zalmi | Javed Afridi | Babar Azam | Daren Sammy | 2015 |
All six teams have announced HBL PSL 2024 Squad list. This time, teams have made many changes and are bringing in new players from all draft categories. The Karachi Kings squad 2024 is also finalized for Karachi fans, and the team is ready to roar this season.
Teams Results
- Information
- W (Winner)
- R (Runner-up)
- PO (Playoffs)
- Grp (Group stage)
| Team | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karachi Kings | PO | PO | PO | PO | W | PO | Grp | Grp |
| Lahore Qalandars | Grp | Grp | Grp | Grp | R | Grp | W | W |
| Islamabad United | W | PO | W | PO | Grp | PO | PO | PO |
| Multan Sultans | N/a | N/a | Grp | Grp | PO | W | R | R |
| Quetta Gladiators | R | R | PO | W | Grp | Grp | Grp | Grp |
| Peshawar Zalmi | PO | W | W | W | PO | R | PO | PO |
Sponsorship
The title sponsorship for PSL was awarded to HBL for three years in 2015. The worth of sponsorship deals, including the title sponsorship, is more than 6.5 million Dollars. In 2018, HBL renewed their sponsorship agreement for the next three years until 2021. And later on, the deal was again extended for another 4 years until 2025.
| Sponsor | Sponsorship Duration |
Sponsorship Amount |
|---|---|---|
| HBL | 2016–2018 | US$5.2 Million |
| HBL | 2019–2021 | US$14.3 Million |
| HBL | 2022–2025 | US$22.2 Million |
Hamaray Heroes
The HBP PSL Hamaray Heroes campaign is one of the most popular initiatives taken by PSL management to recognize and promote unsung heroes of Pakistan like Ayesha Chundrigar (Founder of Animal rescue), Ali Sadpara (famous mountaineer) and others who have served and prestige their country on every platform. The Hamaray Heroes initiative started in PSL 2020, and more than 30 awards were announced in that single season. Later, in PSL 2021, the campaign continued until the global pandemic hit, and PSL management postponed the season for the next few months.
PSL Tickets
Before starting the Pakistan Super League, many sources start selling tickets online. From 17 February, PSL 9 will be starting, and PCB has already announced the sources from where you can buy PSL 2024 Tickets.
Pricing
As the PSL 9 is about to start, PCB has categorically announced the ticket prices. For the opening ceremony and first match, the ticket prices are 1000 (general), 2000 (first class), 3000 (premium), and 6000 (VIP).
Ticket prices for the qualifier have been set as 750 (general), 1500 (first class), 2500 (premium), and 5000 (VIP). For eliminators matches, the prices will be 750 (general), 1500 (first class), 3000 (premium), and 5000 (VIP).
The final match that will be played in National Stadium Karachi will have the highest ticket prices: 1000 (general), 2500 (first class), 4000 (premium), and 8000 (VIP).