Music, Razzle Dazzle To Mark Opening Match Of HBL PSL 9 Tomorrow

Music and pageantry will mark beginning of the ninth edition of the HBL PSL before the reigning champions Lahore Qalandars take on two time champions Islamabad United at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday evening

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Feb, 2024) Music and pageantry will mark beginning of the ninth edition of the HBL PSL before the reigning champions Lahore Qalandars take on two time champions Islamabad United at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday evening.

The iconic Gaddafi stadium Lahore will immerse in glittering lights and the spectators will feats on melodious music by Arif Lohar, Noori Band, Ali Zafar and Aima Baig during an elaborate ceremony followed by fireworks and a laser show to mark the beginning of the marquee event.

It is a maiden opening ceremony of the HBL PSL at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore since its inception in 2016 and the PCB management is committed to make it a memorable one.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is expected to grace the momentous occasion while cricketing heroes and other dignitaries will also be present to watch the cricketers lock horns in an all important opening match.

The first ball of the opening match is expected to be bowled at 8pm PKT.

Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi to host 34 matches

The HBL PSL 9 will see four cities, Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi host 34 matches of the marquee event. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host nine matches, which includes Lahore Qalandars playing five matches at their home turf. The picturesque Multan Cricket Stadium will host five matches – all Multan Sultans fixtures. Lahore and Multan will host the first leg of the league from 17 to 27 February before action moves to Karachi and Rawalpindi.

Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi will host nine matches from 2nd to 10th March with Islamabad United featuring in five matches. Peshawar Zalmi will play four of their 10 matches in Rawalpindi, while Quetta Gladiators will play three matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

Karachi’s National Bank Stadium will host 11 matches including the grand finale on 18 March. The home side Karachi Kings will play a minimum of five matches at the venue, while Quetta Gladiators will get to play at least three matches at the National Bank Stadium.

Captains’ thoughts on HBL PSL 9

Shadab Khan – Islamabad United

“I have been captain of Islamabad United for the last four seasons and I want to lift the trophy for my team this season. The additions of Imad Wasim and the Shah brothers are a huge boost for the franchise. Faheem Ashraf and Azam Khan are two vital cogs in our team. I want my team to stand tall in high-pressure games and get over the line. We have evaluated our mistakes from the last season and are looking forward to executing our plans aptly this time around.”

Shan Masood – Karachi Kings

“To represent and lead my hometown team Karachi in the HBL PSL is such a huge honour. It is a rebuilding process for Karachi Kings, where we are looking to build a core group of young players who can serve the franchise for the next five years. We have a great chance to do well given the last part of the tournament is set to take place in Karachi.”

Shaheen Shah Afridi – Lahore Qalandars

“I am genuinely excited to be leading Lahore Qalandars for the third consecutive season in HBL PSL and the hunt for a hat-trick of titles makes me eager to do well. We are eying a third HBL PSL win this time and I can assure you that my team will show the same intensity as we have done in the past two seasons. Lahore Qalandars are proud of having a strong fan base and our games in Lahore are going to be jam-packed.

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Mohammad Rizwan - Multan Sultans

“HBL PSL is a world-class league and we are all proud to be a part of this league. Multan's pacers and emerging players have dominated the previous two seasons and that is one of the reasons of Sultans doing well consistently. This season we have got a strong squad as well and will look to maintain the standards.

“Multan crowds have given us a lot of love over the last two seasons and hopefully, they will again support us with the same enthusiasm this year.”

Babar Azam – Peshawar Zalmi

“Peshawar Zalmi has been one of the most exciting sides in HBL PSL history and with our current squad we are well poised to emerge as champions in this season. Some of the players are highly talented and gifted in our bowling and batting departments which gives Zalmi an edge over other teams.”

Rilee Rossouw – Quetta Gladiators

“The opportunity to lead a side in HBL PSL doesn't come around often and it is such an honour for me. My expectation this season is to obviously win the HBL PSL 9. As a side, we will try to make it a high-performance arena. I think conditions in Karachi and Lahore will suit Quetta Gladiators and that is where we will look to bag the most points.”

Teams beefed up their squads ahead of marquee event

The six participating teams have beefed up their 20-member squads ahead of the event starting tomorrow.

Islamabad United

Shadab Khan (captain), Alex Hales, Azam Khan, Colin Munro, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Jordan Cox, Matthew Forde, Mohammad Waseem, Naseem Shah, Obed McCoy, Qasim Akram, Rumman Raees, Salman Ali Agha, Shahab Khan and Tymal Mills

Emerging: Hunain Shah, Shamyl Hussain and Ubaid Shah

Karachi Kings

Shan Masood (captain), Anwar Ali, Arafat Minhas, Blessing Muzarabani, Daniel Sams, Hassan Ali, James Vince, Kieron Pollard, Leus Du Plooy, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shoaib Malik and Tabraiz Shamsi

Emerging: Fawad Ali, Irfan Khan Niazi, Mohammad Rohid, Saad Baig and Sirajuddin

Lahore Qalandars

Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Dan Lawrence, David Wiese, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Lorcan Tucker, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Rassie van der Dussen, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Fayyaz, Shai Hope, Sikandar Raza and Zaman Khan

Emerging: Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun Mahmood and Tayyab Abbas

Multan Sultans

Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abbas Afridi, Aftab Ibrahim, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Dawid Malan, Iftikhar Ahmad, Ihsanullah, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Olly Stone, Reeza Hendricks, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir and Usman Khan

Emerging: Faisal Akram, Mohammad Shahzad and Yasir Khan

Peshawar Zalmi

Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Arif Yaqoob, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Ali, Daniel Mousley, Luke Wood, Mohammad Haris, Paul Walter, Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Salman Irshad, Sufyan Muqeem, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Umair Afridi and Waqar Salamkheil

Emerging: Aimal Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Mehran Mumtaz and Mohammad Zeeshan

Quetta Gladiators

Rilee Rossouw (captain), Abrar Ahmad, Bismillah Khan, Jason Roy, Laurie Evans, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Omair bin Yousuf, Sajjad Ali Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Saud Shakeel, Sherfane Rutherford, Sohail Khan, Umar Amin, Usman Qadir, Usman Tariq and Will Smeed

Emerging: Adil Naz and Khawaja Mohammad Nafay