The stage is set for the seventh edition of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) to commence on Thursday at the iconic National Stadium in Karachi with defending champions Multan Sultans facing off 2020 champions Karachi Kings following a curtain-raiser opening ceremony.
Babar Azam, who made the record for most T20I wins as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021, will lead Karachi Kings. Mohammad Rizwan, first-ever batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, will lead Multan Sultans, said a PCB spokesman.
Babar Azam said, “I am very excited to be lead-ing Karachi Kings this season. This is the first in-stance that I will be captaining a side in the HBL PSL and I am looking forward to it.
“The first match of the tournament always has a lot of eyeballs and Multan Sultans can prove to be a tough opposition. I am sure the fans will get to see a thrilling contest.
“Peter Moores is a seasoned coach and I have had fruitful discussions with him. Karachi Kings will display good, competitive cricket this season.”
Mohammad Rizwan said, “We have all the po-tential to defend our HBL PSL title and we will be taking the field tomorrow with that mind set. This season will present us new challenges and we will have to plan accordingly. “Babar Azam is a wonderful batter and captain, and his leadership will certainly have a good impact on Karachi Kings. I am hopeful that the HBL PSL 7 will kick off with a great contest between the two sides.”
As per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) directive, the seating capacity has been reduced to 25 per cent for all matches in Kara-chi, 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 against 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 Qalan-dars and Karachi Kings taking on Quetta Gladiators.
Lahore Qalandars, captained by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has had stratospheric rise in interna-tional cricket since his debut in 2018, will hope the change in leadership leads to a change in their for-tunes and they secure the glittering trophy.
Islamabad United are led by Shadab Khan. Sar-faraz 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 HBL 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.—APP
