Let the games begin!

And so it’s finally here. Pakistan Super League (PSL) is all set to kick off from February 4, with Islamabad United taking on Quetta Gladiators. The anticipation has truly taken off following last week’s PSL draft, now that we finally know who will be playing for which team.

Here’s a preview of the five PSL teams, which will be looking to become the inaugural PSL champions - a tag that will remain with them for as long as the tournament is played.

 

Peshawar Zalmi

Squad: Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal, Junaid Khan,  Tamim Iqbal, Darren Sammy, Brad Hodge, Chris Jordan, Jim Allenby, Musadiq Ahmed, Dawid Malan, Shahid Yousuf, Abdur Rehman, Aamer Yamin, Dawid Malan, Imran Khan Jr, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Israrullah, Taj Wali

Peshawar had the first Platinum pick and fittingly they went for Afridi, the biggest T20 player in the tournament, and Pakistan’s national team captain in the shortest format. With Wahab and Hafeez in the squad, Zalmi have some of the biggest names from Pakistan. Tamim Iqbal and Darren Sammy, from the foreign category, add a lot of flair to the squad. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if Zalmi’s performance mirrors their skipper Afridi’s, who will be expected to deliver with both bat and ball for Peshawar to go deeper into the tournament.

Quetta Gladiators

Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shahzad, Anwar Ali, Zulfiqar Babar, Umar Gul, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara, Luke Wright, Elton Chigumbura, Jason Holder, Saad Nasim, Akbar-ur-Rehman , Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Nabi, Bilal Asif, Asad Shafiq, Bismillah Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Rameez Raja Jnr

Kevin Pietersen is the obvious big name in the Gladiators’ squad, who along with Sangakkara, Wright and Chigumbura leads one of the finest array of international talent in any of the squads. Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad and Anwar Ali are the Pakistani stars in the team and PSL will prove to be a good indicator of the former’s captaincy credentials as a potential future Pakistan captain. Umar Gul is the dark horse in this squad and should he exhibit anything close to his 2009-10 form, he might stake a claim to inclusion in the national squad and help Gladiators do well in PSL.

Islamabad United

Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Irfan, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Amin, Mohammad Sami, Saeed Ajmal, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Samuel Badree, Sam Billings, Andre Russell, Ruman Raees, Kamran Ghulam,  Ammad Butt, Khalid Latif, Imran Khalid, Ashar Zaidi, Hussain Talat, Umar Siddiq

The two names that stand out for Islamabad United are obviously Watson and Misbah. The former is arguably one of the few international stars participating in the PSL at the peak of his game, while the latter is Pakistan’s most successful Test captain and one of the most successful T20 batsmen for the country both internationally and domestically. Ajmal’s selection as a supplementary player makes his profile - and chances of getting into 11 - limited. The squad doesn’t have too much for star power – but isn’t that precisely the kind of team that captain Misbah gets the most out of?

Karachi Kings

Squad: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim, Fawad Alam, Shakib Al Hasan, Tillakaratne Dilshan Mushfiqur Rahim, Ravi Bopara, Lendl Simmons, Nauman Anwar, Sohail Khan, Mir Hamza, Usama Mir, Bilawal Bhatti, Iftikhar Ahmed, Safiullah Bangash, Shahzaib Hasan

The Kings can potentially field the strongest 11 of all the PSL squads. The names that stand out are obviously captain Shoaib Malik and Amir - the latter inching close to a national team recall. Imad Wasim and Sohail Tanvir have both been integral members of Pakistan’s national T20 team as well, until injury and wayward form put question marks on them. In Shakib Al Hasan and Dilshan, Kings have two of the most explosive limited-overs players out there. Karachi probably have the most balanced squad in the league going into the tournament and in Malik they have a captain who knows what it takes to succeed in T20 tournaments.

Kings could potentially field the strongest 11 of all the PSL squads

Lahore Qalandars

Squad: Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdul Razzaq, Hammad Azam, Chris Gayle, Cameron Delport Dwayne Bravo, Kevon Cooper, Mustafizur Rahman, Zafar Gohar, Zia ul Haq, Adnan Rasool, Naved Yasin, Zohaib Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Imran Butt, Ehsan Adil, Mukhtar Ahmed

Qalandars have a batting powerhouse with Gayle, Delport and Akmal leading the strongest batting lineup in the league. However, they don’t quite have the bowling to complement that. And with the doping suspension looming around Yasir Shah - who is yet to prove his mettle in limited-overs play anyway - Lahore will probably look to out-bat their opposition. Gayle’s presence alone is enough to light up the PSL and if Razzaq gets playing time, considering he is a supplementary pick, Lahore could add a lot of Dama Dam Mast Qalandar - to borrow Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s phrase - to the first PSL season.

It’s all to play for. Let the games begin!