Six franchises will participate in the league. Each franchise will include one player from England. The president of Sindh Premier League, Arif Malik, announced this while speaking at a ceremony held in Karachi on Monday.
In the ceremony, the owners of all franchises of SPL, former Sindh Cabinet Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Caretaker Sports Minister Junaid Ali Shah, SPL CEO Shahzad Akhtar, former cricketers Javed Miandad, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, director operations SPL Naved Ahmed Khan, Javed Sheikh, Abdul Razzak, Shoaib Malik, Chief Executive Pakistan Observer Faisal Zahid Malik and other sports personalities were present.
Arif Malik said that the first edition of the Sindh Premier League will be held in Karachi from 14 to 25 and the matches will be played at the National Bank Cricket Arena. He said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari show special interest in the league due to which SPL got the NOC. He said that more than 10,000 local players have registered with the league which is much more than as expected.
He said that one player from England will also play in each franchise and expressed hope that all the franchisees and overseas friends will work together to make this SPL a success. He announced that former South African player Harshall Gibs will be mentor of Hyderabad Bahadur while one franchise is on contact with former Srilankan spinner Murli Dharan and hoped that he will be part of one franchise.
Former local government minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that it is welcoming that SPL is being held after approval by the Pakistan Cricket Board which is big achievement. He said that it is PPP effort to bring best talent from Karachi to Kashmore. He urged the SPL management and sport minister to get these players trained from international coaches so that cricketers from Sindh could make their place in national cricket team.
Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab said that it is important to stop the young generation from negative activities and they were attracting the youth towards sports activities, SPL will leave a positive impression on the city of Karachi besides SPL is a good opportunity for the youth of Sindh. He said that Sindh government will provide full support to make the league a success.
Provincial caretaker sports minister Syed Junaid Ali Shah said that holding the league at the Sindh level is the best effort. He said that government has made several standard sports grounds in the province and it is expected that SPL will produce quality players.
Former Test captain Javed Miandad said that he is very excited about the organization of SPL and there was a need to increas e the sports facilities in Sindh including Karachi. He said that nowadays cricket is being played apart from traditional cricket and was optimistic that many new players who understand modern cricket will emerge from SPL.
Former captain and all-rounder Shahid Afridi said that there is a lot of talent in Pakistan which do not utilize properly and expressed hope that this league will avoid the loss of talent. He said that he is proud to be part of Sindh province and the city of Karachi and other province should also follow the same.
Afridi said that efforts should be made not to limit this league to just one month but to work on the style of academies throughout the year so that new talent can be brought in.
Former Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq said that as a coach and mentor league he will guide the cricketers, the league is expected to get good players. He said that it is expected that the league will play an important role in Pakistan cricket. Former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq said that he will play a role in improving the skills of the players. Former all-rounder Shoaib Malik said that success comes only by taking difficult steps and such events provide opportunities to players to learn.
Jahanzeb Alam, owner of Hyderabad Bahadur and chairman of Al-Hayat Group, Ghulam Hussain of Benazirabad Lals, Saad Hafeez Rana of Larkana Challengers, Bilal Hussain Sekho of Sukkur Patriots and Wasim Khan of Karachi Ghazis also spoke and assured all possible support to make the league a success.
During the ceremony, an MoU regarding associate partner between Sindh Premier League and Ten Z Drink was also signed, by Arif Malik and Shahid Afridi, and a video message from South African cricketer Herschel Gibbs, the mentor of Hyderabad Bahadur in which he expressed his best wishes for Hyderabad Bahadurs and SPL. Besides, during the event, Larkana Challengers also announced Shahnawaz Dhani as their icon player.
