The sixth edition of PSL starting from 20 February to 22 March 2021. The sixth edition involves six participating teams and 34 matches would be played. After the successful progression of the 5th edition of the PSL. The PSL is going to be played completely in Pakistan. This edition of the PSL tournament will be fully hosted in Pakistan. Each team has to play each other twice in the league format before the top four teams qualify for the playoffs.
The revival of international cricket in Pakistan is the result of a successful PSL season in Pakistan.PSL is the main driving force that encourages foreign teams to visit Pakistan.PSL attracted international cricketers and made its own identity in the international arena.
The Pakistan Cricket Board should be congratulated as international cricket will be fully resumed by the recent tour of South Africa starting from 26-January. The assault on the Sri Lanka squad bus at Lahore in March 2009 resulted in the postponement of international cricket in Pakistan. Pakistan played its home games in UAE.
Pakistan cricket planners also had no other option when launching their flagship T20 tournament in 2016 but to display the complete first edition in the UAE. PSL started a step-by-step progression to fetch international cricket back to Pakistan, a country of more than 200 million and where cricket is the key sport. Lahore and Karachi have been crucial points for more crickets on home soil, hosting Twenty20 games against a World XI, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies.
Mani said the league was watched by more than 100 million people last year and its financial support and broadcast rights deals continued to rise quickly despite Pakistan’s economic situation.
The former Pakistani Test player once Ramiz Raja said that “The PSL is a great vehicle to enforce the Pakistani case and is creating a positive atmosphere about the country”.
This is an amazing story of the revival of Pakistani cricket as Pakistan is a cricketing crazy country. Our local players are not well paid by the cricket board so PSL Frenchies are paying players a handsome amount to play for their team.
Now one by one we take a look at the six franchises of PSL.
The Lahore Qalandars
The Lahore Qalandars “Players Development Program” is one of the outstanding talent hunt programs to find new talent in Pakistan. The main aim of PDP is to engage the youth of Pakistan and providing them a platform to exhibits their talent. This program includes only those players which are not a part of domestic teams. The Lahore Qalandars PDP is providing hope to the youngsters and helping them to nurture their talent as they don’t have resources. The participation of players is outstanding in the Qalandars PDP program. During the first season, 113000 players participated in the second season 160000, and in the third season of PDP 190000 players participated. The PDP was started from eight cities of Punjab now it is extended to AJK, Gilgit Baltistan, and also to KP. This Program has already given Pakistan the players like Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain. They are also sending young players to Australia for further training and these cricketers are provided with contracts with different clubs. The Qalandar was the runner-up and reached the final of the PSL season 5 and they also improved their performance in the previous edition.
The Karachi King
The Karachi King is one of the finest teams of PSL. It is owned by Mr. Salman Iqbal, it is a demonstration of the multicultural metropolis that is Karachi, the heart and soul of Pakistan. The fan following of the team is not restricted to Karachi but is stretch all across the country. More than being just a cricketing team, the Karachi Kings franchise aspires to invest in cricket in Pakistan, increasing and developing our local talent to be intimate and able, to perform on an international level.
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators is one of the most promising teams of the PSL. Their performance is outstanding in the PSL. Their head Coach Vivan Richard is one of the most popular cricketers in the world. He is well respected and remembered for his stylish batting style.
Peshawar Zalmi
The performance of Peshawar zalmi is also outstanding in PSL. They are former champions and their owner has his vision about the team and he has a philanthropic approach. JAVEThe Islamabad United is one of the finest teams of PSL and is owned by Leonine Global Sports. The company has the vision to transform a global experience in the sports arena. Islamabad United is also the champion of the first inaugural tournament of PSL. This is also one of the promising teams of PSL.D AFRIDI the owner of the Peshawar zalmi said that I have a vision of celebrating the great tradition and history of the Pashtuns through these popular supports. He said Peshawar Zalmi is pledged to enhance the quality of life of the poor of our area by different welfare projects.
Islamabad United
Islamabad United is one of the finest teams of PSL and is owned by Leonine Global Sports. The company has the vision to transform a global experience in a sports arena. Islamabad United is also the champion of the first inaugural tournament of PSL. This is also one of the promising team of PSL.
The Multan sultan
The Multan sultan is a new edition to the PSL as the sixth team. Multan sultan as a team brought a sense of pride to the people of the region and the franchise has the vision to create a brand for the region of southern Punjab. They want the people of the region to take direct ownership of the franchise. “Ali Tareen” is the owner of the franchise is a member of a well-established family and he also runs one of the largest NGOs in Pakistan. The name of the organization is Grassroots Pakistan. Grassroots Pakistan has started many projects all over the country which include sanitation projects and women empowerment and is the preferred partner of UNICEF.
Finally, it should be justified to say that PSL is the driving force behind the revival of international cricket in Pakistan.PSL is proved a game-changer for Pakistan cricket.
