Dubai. With hopes of producing a great spectacle of exciting cricket, the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) got off to a colourful start at the Dubai International stadium. The opening ceremony with music, lightshow and top act by flying drummers was cheered by thousands of fans.
As promised by Najam Sethi, the chairman of the PSL, it was an enthralling show with Jamaican reggae star Shaggy and Pakistani singers Ali Zafar and Shahzad Roy performing before the crowd. It was a colourful treat before the first ball was bowled in the first match of the second edition between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi.
For Pakistan cricket, it was another proud moment as they had won the hearts of everyone through the successful staging of the first edition here.
Speaking to Gulf News, Sethi said: “We want make it a bigger and better event than last year. The competition is going to be bigger and better than last year with more star players.”
The organisers have increased the number of matches from 16 to 24 in the second season with Dubai International Stadium and Sharjah Stadium staging the matches with the final to be held in Lahore.
Five teams with their galaxy of stars paraded around the stadium, receiving the cheers from the crowd. Today, PSL has become an event in which the world’s best Twenty20 players want to compete. The event won the hearts of foreign players.
“For the first edition they had big a question mark whether it will work or not and how much money will they pay us and whether the payments will be on time. We were able to ensure that foreign players were looked after very well. Their payments were made to them as per the contracts, on time, often 50 per cent in advance. This is something important to keep the professional side.
“Their lodging and travel were all up to the five star standards and security was immaculate. So they were all very happy and when they went back they talked about it gave interviews, they came on twitter and Facebook and said they had a great experience at the PSL. Their experience was not just about playing or conditions it was also their experience, the bonhomie and the comradeship that they established with their Pakistani teammates. As Brendon McCullum and Darren Sammy mentioned, the team spirt in terms of camaraderie of the players is wonderful. So all these are going to reflect in the new talent and new players who have come to play.”
The five team owners — Salman Iqbal (Karachi Kings), Javed Afridi (Peshawar Zalmi), Nadeem Omar (Quetta Gladiators), Fawad Rana (Lahore Qalandars) and Aamer Zaidi (Islamabad United) — have invested on their teams hoping to be the champions.
The PSL will conclude with the final on March 5 in Lahore with the winning team lifting the ‘Spirit Trophy’ made of innovative Crystal Fine Rocks — a product made using over 50,000 double pointed crystals from Swarovski.
