Get Ready for the Action! A Beginner’s Guide to the PSL 2024

Cricket fans, rejoice! The ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is just around the corner, kicking off on February 17th, 2024. One of the most exciting and competitive T20 leagues in the world, the league has featured some of the best players from around the world, such as Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Rashid Khan, Dale Steyn, and Shane Watson.

First things first: What is the PSL?

Imagine an intense, action-packed T20 cricket tournament featuring some of the world’s best players, all battling it out for the PSL trophy. That’s the PSL in a nutshell! Launched in 2016 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to promote the game and develop local talent, it’s become a major cricketing event, drawing attention from fans and players globally.

Six teams, following the traditional double round-robin format for the league stage, with each team taking on others twice during the league phase before the top 4 qualify for the playoffs stage; will lock horns in this year’s edition:

Lahore Qalandars (defending champions)

1. Islamabad United

2.Karachi Kings

3.Multan Sultans

4.Peshawar Zalmi

5.Quetta Gladiators

Each team boasts a squad filled with local and international stars, promising fierce competition throughout the tournament.

Speaking of champions, who were the winners and runners-up in previous seasons?

Overseas Players to Watch Out For

The PSL attracts renowned international cricketers, adding a global flavor to the tournament.

Islamabad United: Alex Hales Jordan Cox, Tymal Mills (England). Colin Munro (New Zealand). Muhammad Waseem (UAE). Obed McCoy, Matthew Forde (West Indies).

Karachi Kings: Daniel Sams (Australia). James Vince, Jamie Overton (England). Tim Seifert (New Zealand). Leus du Plooy, Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa). Kieron Pollard (West Indies).

Lahore Qalandars: Dan Lawrence (England). David Wiese (Namibia). Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa). Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka). Shai Hope (West Indies). Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe).

Multan Sultans: David Willey, Dawid Malan, Chris Jordan, Olly Stone (England). Reeza Hendricks (South Africa). Johnson Charles (West Indies).

Peshawar Zalmi: Naveen-ul-Haq, Waqar Salamkheil (Afghanistan). Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Luke Wood, Gus Atkinson (England). Rovman Powell, Shamar Joseph (West Indies).

Quetta Gladiators: Jason Roy, Will Smeed, Laurie Evans (England). Rilee Rossouw (South Africa). Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka). Sherfane Rutherford, Akeal Hosein (West Indies).

PSL vs Other T20 leagues

While established leagues like the IPL and BBL dominate the T20 landscape, the PSL continues to carve its niche. With its exciting format, passionate fan base, global influence by the addition of international players, and rising local player talent, the PSL is gradually climbing the ladder and could soon rival the bigwigs. PSL might be the only other league that rivals the IPL in terms of crowdbacking.

The top 5 most popular cricket leagues in the world include the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, T20 Blast League, Caribbean Premier League, and then Pakistan Super League.

It’s no doubt that the Indian Premier League is the no. 1 Cricket league in the world. IPL has changed the entire cricket. It is now more commercialized, you get more entertainment, and the cricketer’s brand value increased.

The Big Bash League short for BBL, also known as the KFC Big Bash League for sponsorship reasons, is an Australian T20 league, established in 2011 by Cricket Australia. After the Indian Premier League or IPL, the Big Bash League is the 2nd most popular league in cricket.

T20 Blast is the oldest and the 1st professional T20 competition in the world. For sponsorship reasons, T20 Blast is often called the “Vitality Blast”. It is a professional T20 cricket tournament for English and Welsh first-class counties which was launched in 2003.

The Caribbean Premier League or CPL is an annual T20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean. Established in 2013, CPL replaced the Caribbean Twenty 20 as the premier Twenty 20 competition in the Caribbean. It gets 4th rank due to popularity and entertainment.

Players often shuffle between leagues, honing their skills & gathering expertise; hence PSL stands as a bridge between other T20 leagues, allowing players and fans to experience different cricketing styles and cultures.

So, mark your calendars for February 17th and get ready to witness cricketing excellence unfold in the PSL 2024!