The Fifth Edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) will kick off on Thursday with a glittering Opening Ceremony followed by the inaugural encounter between the two former Champions – Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators – at National Stadium in Karachi.
With the entire PSL 2020 being held in Pakistan for the first time, the event has made the whole nation further impassioned, enabling them to cherish the moment they had long been awaiting for and now are thrilled to flock to long-empty stadiums.
Click Here To Watch PSL 2020 Opening Ceremony Live
The HBL PSL 2020 will feature 34 T20 matches among six teams at four different venues – National Stadium Karachi, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and Multan Cricket Stadium – from February 20 to March 22.
The trophy that all the teams are fighting for is finally revealed to the world! Watch the exclusive behind the scenes footage from Karachi.#TayyarHain #HBLPSLV pic.twitter.com/T7yZgLnYSp
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 20, 2020
So far the Defending Champions Quetta Gladiators has been the most successful franchise in the previous four editions with 61.90% winning percentage followed by Peshawar Zalmi with 58.69% winning percentage. Peshawar Zalmi also won the title in 2017.
The former two-time Champions Islamabad United with 57.95 winning percentage remains the third most successful team whereas Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, and Lahore Qalandars have yet to demonstrate their full potential as they have lower winning percentages with 42.68%, 36.84%, and 30.55% respectively.
However, with renewed resolve and unflinching commitment, all franchises including the low-performing Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, and Lahore Qalandars have flexed their muscles to prove their worth in 2020. Each of the teams has launched its anthem and equipped itself with foreign star players besides having local heroes.
It’s worth noting that Quetta Gladiators suffered a blow when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suspended its player Umar Akmal just a day before the PSL 2020 inaugural match under its Anti-Corruption Code, barring him to take part in any cricket-related activity.
Click Here for Full PSL 2020 Schedule, Squads, & Time Table
Like the previous editions, each team in PSL 2020 will also play against each other twice which means that each side will play 10 games before entering the eliminator round.
Before the first match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators goes underway at 09:00 pm (PST) today, a Star-Studded Opening Ceremony will take place at the National Stadium.
As many as 350 artists including Abrar-ul-Haq, Aima Baig, Abu Mohammad, Fareed Ayaz, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sajjad Ali, Sanam Marvi and rock band Soch will perform in the Opening Ceremony of the HBL PSL 2020. While Ali Azmat, Arif Lohar, Haroon and Asim Azhar will perform HBL PSL 2020’s anthem “Tayyar Hain”.
