The Pakistan Super League (PSL’s) new season, which will once more provide cricket fans with hours of entertainment, is almost here.
The highly anticipated PSL is starting in less than 24 hours, and the top six teams are all ready to play in the eighth season.
The previous season’s finalists, Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars, will square off once more in the 2018 PSL season, but not before a flashy opening ceremony.
The PSL 8 matches will take place in the four major cities. Together, Multan, Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi will play in the 34-match competition. All six teams have outstanding players, but only four elite teams, who will excel during league play, will be able to advance to the playoff rounds.
PSL 8 Teams
In terms of strength, Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United, and Multan Sultans are the teams with the best combination of youthful and seasoned players.
The PSL 8 will also feature performances by some major international talents from the Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, and Peshawar Zalmi teams.
A challenging scenario can be changed by the Lahore Qalandars’ excellent combination of domestic and foreign talent. The main Qalandar weapons are Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Harry Brook, and Liam Dawson.
The Multan Sultans also boast a strong group of hard-hitting batters, including Tim David, Khushdil Shah, and Rilee Rossouw. They also have Mohammad Rizwan as their wise leader, who is able to maintain
Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, and Colin Munro are just a few of the notable international players who play for the two-time champion Islamabad United and are noted for their aggressive batting.
Shadab Khan, the current captain of United, is also a key member of the club and an all-around player.
As one of the top batters in the world right now, Babar Azam will undoubtedly be missed by the Karachi Kings this season. The Kings will need people like Shoaib Malik and captain Imad Wasim to step up in his place.
Mohammad Amir and Mir Hamza, two dangerous pacers who are on Karachi’s team, can make things difficult for the other team.
Key Players to watch
Babar Azam
Babar will attempt to lead Zalmi from the front in the upcoming season in an effort to win Peshawar the elusive PSL championship. After departing Karachi Kings before the draught last year, Zalmi’s management will be hopeful that Babar would inspire his new team with his batting prowess and captaincy.
With 2,413 runs in 68 games, Babar has the most runs across all PSL seasons. He has competed in previous tournaments for Islamabad United and Karachi Kings, and his greatest score is an 80.
Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman of the Lahore Qalandars, who is renowned for his brutal batting, might be problematic for other teams as he looks to make a good recovery after recently spending a lot of time on the sidelines due to injury.
Fakhar has scored the most runs in past PSL seasons after Babar and Kamran. In 63 PSL games, the Qalandars’ hitting core has amassed 1,939 runs. He is an important member of his squad since in 2022, when his team first won the championship, he contributed significantly by making the most runs in the competition.
Mohammad Rizwan
The magic of “Ifti Mania” is the talk of the town after striking six sixes in an over versus Wahah Riaz in an exhibition match of PSL 8 in Quetta. Iftikhar Ahmed, a crucial Quetta hitter, has recently played exceptionally well, as was evident from the most recenta Bangladesh Premier League season.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi, the captain of the Lahore Qalandars, is optimistic that his knee injury recovery will allow him to resume playing. The lanky pacer is the star bowler for the Qalandars, and with to his accurate bowling and outstanding captaincy, Lahore was able to win the match.
Shaheen is the PSL’s third-highest wicket-taker behind Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali. In 50 appearances for Lahore Qalandars, he has collected 70 wickets.
Islamabad United – Alex Hales (England), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Shadab Khan (all Platinum), Asif Ali, Fazal Haq Farooqi (Afghanistan), Wasim Jr (all Diamond), Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali (all Gold), Abrar Ahmed, Colin Munro (New Zealand), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Rumman Raees, Sohaib Maqsood (all Silver), Hassan Nawaz, Zeeshan Zamir (both Emerging). Moeen Ali (England) and Mubasir Khan (Supplementary)
Karachi Kings – Haider Ali, Imran Tahir (South Africa), Matthew Wade (Australia) (all Platinum), Imad Wasim, James Fuller (New Zealand), James Vince (both England) (all Diamond), Andrew Tye (Australia), Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik (all Gold), Aamer Yamin, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Akhlaq, Sharjeel Khan, Tayyab Tahir (all Silver), Irfan Khan Niazi, Qasim Akram (both Emerging). Mohammad Umar and Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa) (Supplementary)
Lahore Qalandars – Fakhar Zaman, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Shaheen Shah Afridi (all Platinum), Dawid Wiese (Namibia), Hussain Talat, Haris Rauf (all Diamond), Abdullah Shafique, Liam Dawson (England), Sikander Raza (Zimbabwe) (all Gold), Ahmad Daniyal, Dilbar Hussain, Harry Brook (England), Kamran Ghulam, Mirza Tahir Baig (all Silver), Shawaiz Irfan, Zaman Khan (both Emerging). Jalat Khan and Jordan Cox (England) (both Supplementary)
Multan Sultans – David Miller (South Africa), Josh Little (Ireland), Mohammad Rizwan (all Platinum), Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Shan Masood (all Diamond), Akeal Hosein (West Indies), Shahnawaz Dahani, Tim David (Australia) (all Gold), Anwar Ali, Sameen Gul, Sarwar Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan (both Silver), Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah (both Emerging). Adil Rashid (England) and Arafat Minhas (Supplementary).
Peshawar Zalmi –Babar Azam, Rovman Powell (West Indies), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), (all Platinum), Mujeeb Ur Rehman (Afghanistan), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Wahab Riaz (all Diamond), Arshad Iqbal, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Haris (all Gold), Aamer Jamal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (England), Saim Ayub, Salman Irshad, Usman Qadir (all Silver), Haseebullah Khan, Sufyan Muqeem (both Emerging). Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand) (Supplementary). Peshawar Zalmi will pick their second Supplementary at the Replacement Draft.
Quetta Gladiators – Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) (all Platinum), Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy (England), Odean Smith (West Indies) (all Diamond), Ahsan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed (all Gold), Mohammad Zahid, Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan), Umar Akmal, Umaid Asif, Will Smeed (England) (all Silver), Aimal Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (both Emerging). Martin Guptill (New Zealand) and Omair Bin Yousuf (Supplementary).
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