By Abid Usman
LAHORE: The ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League will commence on February 17 in Lahore with the opening match between Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United, according to the tournament sched-ule issued on Friday.
“The marquee event will be played in four cities — Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi — with the final of the six-team tournament taking place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on March 18,” said a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Zaka Ashraf, chairman of the PCB’s Management Committee, said the decision to host the marquee event across the four cities was “a testament to our commitment to bring top-notch cricket to fans across the country”.
“We believe that hosting matches in these venues not only adds to the excitement for fans but also promotes cricket at the grassroots level. As we gear up for this spectacular event, we look forward to witnessing thrilling action and creating unforgettable moments for cricket enthusiasts worldwide,” Ashraf said.
According to the schedule, Karachi will host 11 matches, including the qualifier, two eliminators and the final. Meanwhile, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium will each host nine matches while Multan will host five matches.
“The much-anticipated contest between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings will be played on Feb 24 and Mar 9. Gaddafi Stadium will stage the Feb 24 contest while National Bank Stadium will see Qal-andars and Kings locking horns on Mar 9.
“Kings, Qalandars, Sultans and United will play five matches at their home ground while Peshawar Zalmi will play four matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium,” the PCB press release said.
It added that Quetta Gladiators will play three matches each in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. They will play one match at the Multan Cricket Stadium against the home side Sultans on Feb 25.
As per the schedule, the tournament will take place in two legs with Multan Cricket Stadium and Gad-dafi Stadium hosting 14 matches between them from Feb 17-27.
The league will then move to Pindi Cricket Stadium and National Bank Stadium, where 16 matches will be played from Feb 28-Mar 12. Afterwards, the tournament will move to Karachi in its entirety for the playoffs.
Schedule
Feb 17: Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
Feb 18: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore; Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings, Multan Cricket Stadium
Feb 19: Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
Feb 20: Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United, Multan Cricket Stadium
Feb 21: Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore; Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars, Multan Cricket Stadium
Feb 22: Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
Feb 23: Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Cricket Stadium
Feb 24: Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
Feb 25: Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators, Multan Cricket Stadium; Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
Feb 26: Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
Feb 27: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
Feb 28: Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United, National Bank Stadium
Feb 29: Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators, National Bank Stadium
Mar 2: Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars, Pindi Cricket Stadium; Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladia-tors, Pindi Cricket Stadium
Mar 3: Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans, National Bank Stadium
Mar 4: Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi, Pindi Cricket Stadium
Mar 5: Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans, Pindi Cricket Stadium
Mar 6: Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings, Pindi Cricket Stadium; Islamabad United vs Lahore Qal-andars, Pindi Cricket Stadium
Mar 7: Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings, Pindi Cricket Stadium
Mar 8: Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators, Pindi Cricket Stadium
Mar 9: Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars, National Bank Stadium
Mar 10: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans, Pindi Cricket Stadium; Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qal-andars, National Bank Stadium
Mar 11: Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi, National Bank Stadium
Mar 12: Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans, National Bank Stadium
Mar 14: Qualifier (1 vs 2), National Bank Stadium
Mar 15: Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4), National Bank Stadium
Mar 16: Eliminator 2 (eliminator winner vs qualifier runner-up), National Bank Stadium
Mar 18: Final, National Bank Stadium
