Originally appeared in Dunya News - Opinion Section
For football fans February always has something special to offer, mid-February kicks off the knock-out round of UEFA Champions League. However, for the last two years it has been the start of an exciting month for cricket lovers all over the world as five (this time six) star studded teams get together to bring some exciting cricket to the barren lands of UAE.
Pakistan Super League (PSL) was officially launched on September 8, 2015 but its predecessor the National T20 started in 2005 making it one of the world's oldest Twenty20 cricket leagues. It consisted of 14 teams and was the first T20 cricket league outside Australia and England. A total of 10 seasons were played with Shoaib Malik-led Sialkot Stallions being the most dominant team winning the championship a total of 6 times.
Just like the Kerry Packer-led World Cricket Series of 1977, it was the advent of another private league, The Indian Cricket League (ICL), which changed the T20 scenario forever. It lacked the backing of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) but its success paved the way for the much lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).
After numerous announcements and two failed attempts, PSL was finally launched with 5 teams competing in a double round-robin format. It has expanded since, and we will be seeing a sixth team this year. It has proved to be a blessing in disguise for a country which has struggled to attract international teams to its ground since that fateful day in March 2009. Other than the obvious thrill and adrenaline rush it brings, the league has given some really talented players to Pakistan cricket team which has contributed to the team’s recent T20I success and of course, to last year’s Champions Trophy win. It is becoming a platform where emerging players get the chance not only to perform at the highest level but also learn from legends like Viv Richards.
The PSL was instrumental in bringing cricket back to Pakistani grounds. Barring a limited overs Zimbabwe tour, Pakistan Cricket Board has failed to bring any international teams to Pakistan but hosting the final of second PSL edition proved to be a strong catalyst in this process. It was eventually followed by a World XI tour and then came the spirited Sri Lanka, who played one T20I in Lahore.
This year, it is expected that Lahore will be hosting two play offs while Karachi will be hosting the final. This will be first time since March 2009 that any form of international cricket will return to the city of lights. Karachi has been a fortress for Pakistan for almost 50 years where the hosts have only lost two matches in their entire cricketing history, but in recent time’s terrorist activities, bombings, and poor law and order situations have resulted in the refusal of non-Asian sides to play in the city.
A brief look at statistics reveals that the team without a PSL trophy has been the most consistent team of the league. Led by the national captain Sarfraz Ahmed, Quetta Gladiators cost the least among all the six teams but sits right at the top with a winning percentage of 63.15% and made it to each of the two finals so far. They had a good chance of winning the league last year but their overseas players refused to travel to Lahore for the final and a depleted Quetta lost its way. They will be hoping to make third time lucky, which will be a fitting farewell to modern day legend Kevin Pietersen, who will be retiring from all forms of cricket after PSL 2018. He has most runs from the foreign cricketers (456 runs) and will be sorely missed in the cricket arena.
Karachi Kings have a new captain in the form of young Imad Wasim, who will be leading a star studded squad. They have failed to live up to the expectations so far and will be hoping that the squad comprising Mohammad Amir, Kumar Sangakkara, Ravi Bopara, Kieron Pollard, Sohail Khan and Shahid Afridi will help them improve their fortunes. Shahid Afirdi will be playing his first season from the Karachi Kings and will be instrumental in their plans ahead. Their bowling attack looks really strong and local fans will be hoping for an improved performance so they can see their team play at their home ground.
Another team out there to prove a point is Lahore Qalandars which has traditionally relied on star power selecting players like Gayle, Umar Akmal, Brendon McCullum, Fakhar Zaman and Chris Lynn, though the latter has dislocated his shoulder a day before PSL starts. Their squad was overhauled after the first season but that didn’t improve their fortunes. This year they have a strong spin-duo of Yasir Shah and Sunil Narine to support their explosive batting line up but only time will tell if they will be able to rise up to the challenge.
Multan Sultan is the new kid on the block but they have developed a formidable and experienced squad in the form of Shoaib Malik, Kumar Sangakarra, Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan. They also have specialists like Darren Bravo, Ahmed Shehzad and Imran Tahir in their ranks and they will be hoping to go all the way, fancying the title win in their maiden season.
Islamabad United has already experienced two extremes of the sport in the first two seasons. Led by the evergreen Misbah ul Haq, they were the surprise winner of the first edition of PSL after losing their first four matches. They were rocked by a spot fixing scandal and lost two batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif to bans. Andre Russel is back after having served his doping ban and will be the key player for them along with the very talented Shadab Khan leading the bowling attack. Misbah has shown no signs of slowing down but if the team fails to perform well this season, pressure will only increase on Pakistan`s most successful Test captain to hand over the reins.
The winners of second edition of PSL, Peshawar Zalmi have been one of the most consistent teams of the league. Their winning percentage is only second to Quetta and they have retained the core of the team (ten players) that won the league. Led by the experienced Darren Sammy, they have the potential to go all the way and are definitely among the favorites this year to defend the title.
Whichever team lifts the cup on March 25, 2018 in Karachi, the whole country will rejoice the victory and I look forward to the day when we will be able to hold matches in all the six cities of Pakistan with fans cheering the foreign and local players in a similar fashion. Good luck everyone!
The writer works in the public sector with a special interest in storytelling through visuals. He is Co-Founder of Mani’s Cricket Myths and tweets at @manihammad.
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