KARACHI, Jan 27 (Asia Free Press): The stage is all ready to kickoff the seventh edition of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), on Thursday, at the National Stadium in Karachi where defending champions Multan Sultans facing off 2020 champions Karachi Kings following a curtain-raiser opening ceremony.
The curtain-raiser opening ceremony will be staged tonight at 6:30 PM, in what Singers Atif Aslam and Aima Baig will show their performance, followed by the opening match of the HBL PSL 7 which will be started at 08:00 PM.
Babar Azam, who made the record for most T20I wins as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021, will lead Karachi Kings, probably for the first time and Mohammad Rizwan, first-ever batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, will lead Multan Sultans, the defending champion, said a PCB spokesperson.
As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) directive, the seating capacity has been reduced to 25 per cent for all matches in Karachi, while a decision is yet to be taken for matches which will be scheduled in Lahore, according to the PCB officials.
National Stadium Karachi will host the first 15 matches till 7 February, before the action moves to Lahore, where Gaddafi Stadium, the home of Pakistan cricket, will stage the last 19 games from 10-27 February, according to the issued scheduled.
The Pakistan’s brand HBL PSL has established itself as one of the top T20 leagues around the world, where world class cricketers eagerly to participate and to learn, enhance their skills and learn nitty-gritties of the game.
So far, after the inception of the league in 2016, five out of six teams have claimed the trophy. Islamabad United, the maiden champion of the league, bag the title twice, while Lahore Qalander is looking forward to claim their first ever HBL PSL trophy.
Peshawar Zalmi won the title in 2017 when they beat Quetta Gladiators in the final in Lahore in what was the first HBL PSL match on Pakistan soil. Islamabad United became the champions for the second time with a win over Peshawar Zalmi at Karachi in 2018. Quetta Gladiators were third time lucky in 2019. Karachi Kings made history in 2020 as they beat their arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars at home, and Multan Sultans won the 2021 HBL PSL.
According to the PCB official website, fans in Pakistan will be able to watch all the action in HD on A Sports and PTV Sports. In addition, HBL PSL 7 will be telecasted around the world on Fox Sports (Australia), Etisalat (Middle-East and North Africa), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky NZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sony (South Asia outside Pakistan), Super Sports (Sub-Saharan Africa) and Willow TV (North America).
