KARACHI: Into its eighth season, the HBL Pakistan Super League is set to operate at its maximum potential. For the first time since its inaugural edition in 2016, the country’s flagship franchise T20 tournament will be held across four home venues. The last time it was meant to be so was in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic brought the season to a halt before it was completed later that year behind closed doors.

The previous edition of the PSL was also held in Pakistan in its entirety but all matches were conducted across Karachi and Lahore only. This year, in addition to the two metropolises, Multan and Rawalpindi will also be in the fray, which would mean four of the six sides in Multan Sultans, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings and Islamabad United will enjoy home advantage. Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators, on the other hand, will have to do without the backing of home supporters.

The opening fixture — which is to be followed by a “first of its kind” opening ceremony, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board — will be a box office clash between hosts Multan Sultans and defending champions Lahore Qalandars at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Led by Pakistan’s star wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, Multan boast a batting-heavy core of players featuring Australia’s Tim David, South African Rilee Rossouw, his compatriot David Miller and West Indies veteran Kieran Pollard.

Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Qalandars in contrast have probably the best bowling line-up in the tournament, studded with the likes of death bowling specialist Haris Rauf, emerging pacer Zaman Khan and Shaheen himself. The fixture hence promises a promising battle between bat and ball with the wickets to be more conducive for the former.

“Shaheen is a world class bowler and ranks amongst the best in the world,” Rizwan said in the pre-match press conference on Sunday. “When he attacks with the new ball he is almost unplayable.

“We have a strategy against him and I’m sure he has one against us as well but I think it will depend on who turns up on the day.”

The experience of a maximum of eight challenging seasons has helped all six franchises figure out the best possible combinations and tactics to win games in the PSL, which is said to be the most difficult league in terms making quick runs. The team squads of all sides looked balanced and well-thought following the PSL draft few months ago.

“All teams are really strong and balanced this time,” said Rizwan. “However, the team which gains rhythm quickly is likely to be on the winning side.”

Rizwan said the teams will not only depend on the highly-rated foreign players but the emerging players will play a key role as well.

“Sometimes the main players don’t perform but emerging players make up for it,” noted the wicket-keeper.

Multan’s opponents in the first match did not go for star players in the draft, although they got the hold of Zimbabwean batter Sikandar Raza, who has been in immense form in the last 12 months.

They have a high-profile local opener in Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman in their ranks while the likes of Hussain Talat and Kam­ran Ghulam will bring a decent experience of playing in the league.

“I am hoping it to be a great match and I’d love to see the stands full,” Shaheen said of the opener. “We will try to get the Multan top-order out and put them under pressure early on.”

NEW RIVALRIES

While the Multan-Lahore clash can be called the Punjab Derby and can be placed second to the cultural rivalry between the Qalandars and Karachi Kings, the recent turn of events have also given birth to new rivalries.

The Karachi outfit let go of mainstay opener Babar Azam after the Pakistan captain had spent six seasons with them. The right-hander, who joined Peshawar Zalmi, was replaced by Imad Wasim as the Kings’ captain.

Imad, who is out of the national side since a long time now, has been critical of Babar’s style of captaincy as well as his approach at the top of the batting order.

The all-rounder recently said that his PSL team now consists of more match winners — an indirect jab at the prolific Babar.

The rivalry between the two players will be at play when the sides take on each other in the second fixture of the league here at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

In Karachi Kings’ second home fixture, they will lock horns with two-time champions Islamabad United, who are set to go about the new season with a modern all-out attack approach.

Run by a data-driven management staff , the team officials and captain Shadab Khan have warned that the side will look to pile big runs and hence will rely on a high-quality batting line-up.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2023