Each year in February and March, six teams, one from each of Pakistan’s six major cities, compete in Pakistan Super League , a pro Twenty20 cricket league. On September 9, 2015, this same Pakistan Cricket Board launched the league with its inaugural roster of five clubs.
The league is indeed a unified entity whose franchises are owned and operated by investors rather than being part of a larger group of organizations.
Each team plays each other twice during the group round; the top 4 teams with highest points advance to the playoffs, which culminate in the championship game. The Lahore, Pakistan headquarters of the league is run by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In total, there has been seven years of PSL. With two championships under its belt, Islamabad United stands as the PSL’s most successful club. Lahore Qalandars are the reigning champions after they triumphed in 2022.
Format of PSL
Double round robin play is used in the PSL. The regular season consists of two games for each team, with the top four teams qualifying for the postseason.
The league abides by the laws set forth by the ICC, yet it was the league that first used the decision review system (DRS) for Twenty20 matches, a system that was subsequently adopted by the ICC. Two points are given for a victory, one for a draw, and zero for a defeat in the group stage. When the scores are tied after the allotted over have been played, a “super over” is utilized to determine the victor.
Teams in the group phase are rated according to the following:
- Scores that are higher than average
- In a tie, faster turnover rate
- In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by who has most.
- In a tie, the option with the least amount of casualties wins.
- If the scores are still tied after a direct confrontation, the winner will be determined by the margin of victory.
When there is a tie in a playoff game, the winner is decided by a “super over.” If super over isn’t achievable, or if the over ends in a tie, team with the best regular-season league standing is declared the victor.
Establishment of PSL Pakistan Super League
The Pakistan Super League was officially announced by the PCB in September 2015. Former captains of the Pakistani national soccer team, Wasim Akram & Rameez Raja, have signed three-year contracts to serve as PSL brand ambassadors and help promote the league.
Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, daughter of EX Pakistani president Asif Zardari, along with Nahyan bin Mubarak formally launched the opening ceremony on February 4, 2016 in the . This marked the official beginning of the league after years of planning as well as two previous failed attempts.
Each of Pakistan’s five provinces and the nation’s capital city fielded a squad for the first two seasons. The inaugural season of the PSL featured a larger number of foreign players than subsequent seasons. In contrast to some other Twenty20 leagues, this one uses a draught to acquire new players, just like many North American sports teams.
In an event held on September 20, 2015 in Lahore, 3Di unveiled the PSL’s official logo. Current and former cricketers, along with notable figures from Pakistan, were in attendance during the ceremony.
PSL Winners List Till Date 2023
| Year | Winners | Host | Runner up |
| 2016 | Islamabad United | UAE | Quetta Gladiators |
| 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi | PAK | Quetta Gladiators |
| 2018 | Islamabad United | PAK | Peshawar Zalmi |
| 2019 | Quetta Gladiators | Peshawar Zalmi | PAK |
| 2020 | Karachi Kings | Lahore Qalandars | PAK |
| 2021 | Multan Sultans | Peshawar Zalmi | UAE |
| 2022 | Lahore Qalandars | Multan Sultans | PAK |
The most wins in PSL is made by Islamabad United, who won in 2016 and 2018, and rest of the teams like Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars have gained the PSL winning title only once.
Upcoming Pakistan super league
The defending champion Lahore Qalandars will face the runner-up Multan Sultans in a rematch of last season’s PSL final on February 13. This will be the eighth season of the fascinating Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Rawalpindi is set to host as much as eleven games, while Karachi will each host nine, and Multan will stage the remaining five. For fans, this year will be a real treat as they anxiously await PSL Cricket to keep tabs on their preferred franchises and the latest occurrences in the league.
Islamabad United is the only team to win the premier leagues twice, with the Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators, & Multan Sultans each taking home the trophy once.
According to the PSL Schedule, the month-long 2023 competition will feature a double round-robin followed by playoffs, with a total of 34 matches. This implies that each of the six teams will face the other twice during the group stage before advancing to the playoffs. Similar to the (IPL), the playoffs consist of a first qualifying round, an elimination round, a second qualifying round, and a finals round.
In the PSL, the top 4 teams in the standings go to the playoffs, where they will compete for the championship. On March 19, at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the event’s pinnacle matchup will go down between the victor of the Qualifier and the victor of the Eliminator 2.
During its inaugural season, the PSL was held solely within the UAE for reasons of safety. Islamabad United won the first ever final against Quetta Gladiators, and they were crowned champions. Defeating Quetta Gladiators at Lahore on March 5, 2017, Peshawar Zalmi claimed their first PSL title. After defeating Peshawar Zalmi on March 25, 2018, Islamabad United claimed their first PSL title. On March 17, 2019, the Quetta Gladiators defeated the Peshawar Zalmi to gain their maiden title; the following year, the Karachi Kings won.
Multan Sultans, who beat Peshawar Zalmi in the finals on June 24, 2021, at Abu Dhabi. On February 27, 2022, Lahore Qalandars defeated the defending champions, Multan Sultan, and took home the team’s first championship.
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