By the team you read this, the expectedly extravagant opening ceremony of the third edition of the Pakistan Super League, along with the much anticipated contest between Peshawar Zalmi would have already been played out on the previous day (Thursday).
The start of PSL 3 is whetting the appetite of the entire nation, considering the unparalleled excitement that the first two seasons offered.
Of course, in addition to the entertainment, PSL has given the national side budding superstars – the likes of Hasan Ali, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan – who have been proving their mettle at the highest stage, helping Pakistan succeed.
Last summer’s Champions Trophy win owed a lot to the PSL and its many contributions. And so does the increasing return of international cricket to Pakistan.
But before we can look at what the third edition can contribute in the long-run, it’s all about the here and now.
For the third season, PSL has a sixth team, Multan Sultans, which means that there will be more matches in addition to an increase in competitiveness. Sultans’ inception has meant that there has been squad reshuffling, with Shoaib Malik heading from Karachi Kings to lead Multan, while Shahid Afridi has left Peshawar Zalmi to join Karachi, which is being led by Imad Wasim.
While the Sultans would consider making the final two playoffs in Lahore success, for the Kings there is the additional incentive of going for the final considering that it is being played in Karachi. With Afridi in the side, Imad Wasim leading, and no Chris Gayle, it’s a new-look Kings squad that looks to do better that they have in the first two seasons, where they lost out in the first and second playoff respectively, without having finished in the top two in either season.
Brendon McCullum with Aaqib Javed
One team that has been even less successful than the Kings in the first two PSL seasons are the Lahore Qalandars. They finished bottom in both the two seasons, meaning that they have been the only side to miss out on the four-team playoffs altogether over the last two years.
That they finished fifth in PSL 2 was particularly surprising, not just because finishing last in back-to-back seasons is no mean task, but also because the Qalandars were led by Brendon McCullum. The former New Zealand skipper would be hoping to at least make the final playoffs this year, both of which will be held in Lahore.
Even so, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Qalandars make it all the way to the final this year, after the struggles of the first two seasons.
Quetta Gladiators have made it to both the finals so far, losing out to Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 1 and 2 respectively. With Kevin Pietersen announcing that PSL 3 will be his last tournament as a professional cricketer, and Sarfraz Ahmed on a high at the international level, captaining Pakistan to the Champions Trophy win and the number one T20 ranking, the Gladiators have all the incentive to go one better this time round.
Islamabad United have had two eventful seasons. In the first, they overcame Zalmi and Gladiators at the tail of the tournament to come out as surprise inaugural winners, and in the second they were jolted by the spot-fixing scandal which has resulted in bans on Muhammad Irfan, Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan. United would be looking to bounce back from last year’s scandal, and with Misbah-ul-Haq at the helm – at the very end of his professional career – they couldn’t have asked for a better leader to take them through it.
Defending champions Peshawar Zalmi have been the most followed PSL team over the past two seasons. This was epitomised by the Zalmi shirts that thronged Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore at last season’s final, and that have been seen filling stadia in Dubai and Sharjah in the first two seasons.
A lot of that support, however, was for Shahid Afridi who will be playing for Kings now. But perhaps the second most popular player in the PSL after Afridi is Darren Sammy now, with his name echoing inside Gaddafi Stadium both during the PSL final and the Independence Cup against the World XI.
Sammy might be the fans’ favourite, and Zalmi might still be a popular side, along with being the defending champions, but they might find it hard to bridge Afridi’s loss.
There might be a third, different champions’ side this year. It could be the year when one of the two highest profile teams, Karachi and Lahore, finally come good.
