Lahore Qalandars will take on Islamabad United in opening fixture at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday
\nLAHORE
\nThe ninth edition of the PSL is all set to commence today, when Lahore Qalandars, two-time champions (2022 and 2023), will take on Islamabad United, who are also two-time champions (2016 and 2018), in the opening fixture at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
\nThe thrilling match between the two sides is expected to begin at 8pm, according to Pakistan time.
\nIn the double-header, the afternoon match will begin at 2pm, while the first ball of the evening match will be bowled at 7pm. The matches taking place during Ramadan will begin at 9pm.
\nIt is pertinent to mention here that the Lahore stadium will host its first opening ceremony of the PSL.
\nAli Zafar, Aima Baig to enthrall audience
\nThe ceremony will kick off at 6:30pm with an array of exciting performances from renowned artist Arif Lohar, Natasha Baig, pop band Noori, and the singers of the PSL 9 anthem song Ali Zafar and Aima Baig. Fans will also be treated to spectacular fireworks and a mesmerising laser show.
\nThe tournament will see four cities, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi host 34 matches of the marquee event.
\nAs per the details, Lahore stadium will host nine matches, which includes Qalandars playing five matches on their home turf.
\nThe picturesque Multan Cricket Stadium will host five matches \u2013 all Multan Sultans fixtures. Lahore and Multan will host the first leg of the league from 17 to 27 February before action moves to Karachi and Rawalpindi.
\nPindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi will host nine matches from March 2 to 10 with United featuring in five matches. Peshawar Zalmi will play four of their 10 matches in Rawalpindi, while Quetta Gladiators will play three matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
\nKarachi\u2019s National Bank Stadium will host 11 matches including the grand finale on March 18. The home side Karachi Kings will play a minimum of five matches at the venue, while Gladiators will get to play at least three matches at the stadium.
\nCaptains\u2019 thoughts
\nUnited\u2019s skipper Shadab Khan said: \u201cI have been captain of Islamabad United for the last four seasons and I want to lift the trophy for my team this season.\u201d
\n\u201cThe additions of Imad Wasim and the Shah brothers are a huge boost for the franchise. Faheem Ashraf and Azam Khan are two vital cogs in our team. I want my team to stand tall in high-pressure games and get over the line.\u201d
\nHe said they had evaluated their mistakes from the last season and were looking forward to executing their plans aptly that time around.
\nKings captain Shan Masood remarked: \u201cTo represent and lead my hometown team Karachi in the PSL is such a huge honour.\u201d
\n\u201cIt is a rebuilding process for Karachi Kings, where we are looking to build a core group of young players who can serve the franchise for the next five years.\u201d
\nHe said they had a great chance to do well given the last part of the tournament was set to take place in Karachi.
\nQalandars\u2019 Shaheen Shah Afridi said: \u201cI am genuinely excited to be leading Lahore Qalandars for the third consecutive season in PSL and the hunt for a hat-trick of titles makes me eager to do well.\u201d
\nHe said they were eying a third PSL win this time and he could assure the people that his team would show the same intensity as they have done in the past two seasons.
\n\u201cLahore Qalandars are proud of having a strong fan base and our games in Lahore are going to be jam-packed,\u201d he added.
\nSultans skipper Mohammad Rizwan said: \u201cPSL is a world-class league and we are all proud to be a part of this league.\u201d
\nMultan\u2019s pacers and emerging players had dominated the previous two seasons and that was one of the reasons of Sultans doing well consistently, he added.
\nRizwan said this season they had got a strong squad as well and would look to maintain the standards.
\n\u201cMultan crowds have given us a lot of love over the last two seasons and hopefully, they will again support us with the same enthusiasm this year,\u201d he added.
\nZalmi captain Babar Azam claimed: \u201cPeshawar Zalmi has been one of the most exciting sides in PSL history and with our current squad we are well poised to emerge as champions in this season.\u201d
\nHe said some of the players were highly talented and gifted in their bowling and batting departments which gives Zalmi an edge over other teams.
\nGladiators skipper Rilee Rossouw said: \u201cThe opportunity to lead a side in PSL doesn\u2019t come around often and it is such an honour for me.\u201d
\n\u201cMy expectation this season is to obviously win the PSL 9. As a side, we will try to make it a high-performance arena.\u201d
\nHe further said that he thought conditions in Karachi and Lahore would suit Gladiators and that was where they would look to bag the most points.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lahore Qalandars will take on Islamabad United in opening fixture at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday LAHORE The ninth edition of the PSL is all set to commence today, when Lahore Qalandars, two-time champions (2022 and 2023), will take on Islamabad United, who are also two-time champions (2016 and 2018), in the opening fixture at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-387613","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n