Karachi: Multan Sultan won the toss and chose to bowl first against Karachi kings in the inaugural match of HBL PSL seventh edition on Thursday night at the National Stadium Karachi.
Multan won the toss and chose to bowl first. Here’s the team outlook for both teams: #HBLPSL7 l #LevelHai pic.twitter.com/GiFI3FX2Ly
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) January 27, 2022
Earlier, the Pakistan Super League kicked off in Karachi today with a star studded opening ceremony. Renowned singers enthralled the audiences with their tremendous performance during the ceremony.
To top off all the celebrations, the PCB put on a fireworks display to mark the start of cricket festivities.
Apna #LevelHai 🎶 #HBLPSL7 pic.twitter.com/VhM1ECZjkQ
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) January 27, 2022
This is the third time that an opening ceremony is being held in Karachi. The National Stadium had also played host to the opening ceremony for the 2021 edition.
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 on the number of spectators in Lahore to be taken in due course. The health and safety protocols for this edition is available here
On the second match day on Friday, Quetta Gladiators will play Peshawar Zalmi with the match starting at 2pm PKT, while the third match day on Saturday will serve the fans a double-header with Multan Sultans playing Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings taking on Quetta Gladiators.
Lahore Qalandars, captained by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has had stratospheric rise in international cricket since his debut in 2018, will hope the change in leadership leads to a change in their fortunes and they secure the glittering trophy.
Islamabad United are led by Shadab Khan. Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is the only player to lead his side in all the editions, will continue to command his Gladiators from Quetta, while Peshawar Zalmi will be led by Wahab Riaz.
The PSL has established itself as one of the top T20 leagues around the world and it has featured most sought-after cricketers from around the world. The competitiveness of this league and the quality of action has served up and coming Pakistan cricketers opportunities to learn, enhance their skills and learn nitty-gritties of the game.
Glimpses from the #HBLPSL7 opening ceremony and fireworks 🎆 https://t.co/Wd9lS6yZRc#LevelHai
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) January 27, 2022
National Stadium 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.
The competitive nature of the league has seen five of the six sides getting crowned champions since the league’s inception in 2016 with Islamabad United, the inaugural champions, being the only team to bag the title twice.
Peshawar Zalmi won the title in 2017 when they beat Quetta Gladiators in the final in Lahore in what was the first 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.
