Pakistan Super League - PSL
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ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
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Islamabad United, Multan Sultans set to battle for PSL 2024 title
Table-toppers Multan Sultans are set to take on fan-favourite Islamabad United in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Monday, March 18.
The first ball is expected to be bowled at 9pm, while the toss will take place at 8:30pm.
Sultans, who qualified for the fourth consecutive final after beating Peshawar Zalmi in the Qualifier, will be looking to win their second title. They haven’t been able to win the marquee trophy since they were crowned champions in the 2021 edition.
United, on the other hand, have made a lot of effort to make it to the final and have gained momentum in the process. After finishing third on the table, they defeated Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi in the two eliminators to earn the coveted berth in the final. This will be two-time champions United’s first final since 2018 – when they last won the PSL title.
In the lead-up to the playoffs, Multan Sultans secured 14 points after winning seven out of their ten games. United finished with five wins, whereas their home game against Lahore Qalandars was washed out. As a result, United had 11 points, equaling with the fourth-placed Quetta Gladiators.
Multan’s Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Khan are the second and third highest run-getters of the tournament thus far, only behind Peshawar Zalmi’s Babar Azam who ended PSL 9 with 569 runs in 11 innings, including five half-centuries and one century.
Rizwan has accumulated 382 runs in as many innings, with four half-centuries. Usman, having appeared in only six games, has made 373 runs on the back of two centuries and a half-century.
Colin Munro, with 309 runs from nine games with three fifties, is the highest run-getter for Islamabad United. Islamabad’s skipper Shadab Khan has also starred with the bat and ball alike this season; in 11 games, he has produced 301 runs, including three half-centuries, and taken 11 wickets.
Leader of the Sultans’ spin attack, Usama Mir, is the current leading wicket-taker of the tournament, holding the Fazal Mahmood Cap. He has 23 scalps in 11 games, including one six-wicket haul. His current tally of 23 is the best by any spinner in one edition of PSL and is only two wickets behind Hasan Ali’s record of 25 wickets, the most by any bowler in one edition, which has not been bested since 2019.
Sultans’ right-arm pacer Mohammad Ali, playing his maiden PSL tournament, has 18 wickets in 11 games, the most by any pacer in the tournament thus far.
Naseem Shah, who made his move to Islamabad United ahead of PSL 9, has the most wickets for his team thus far. Assuming his role as the leader of Islamabad’s bowling attack, the right-arm seamer has grabbed 15 wickets in 10 games.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
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- #118
CRICKET: PSL AND THE NEXT DECADE
From Hasan Ali to newcomer Fawad Ali, PSL continues to provide a much-needed springboard and safety net for young cricketers.Abyan Amir
August 10, 2025
On a breezy Dubai February evening in 2016, in the sixth over of the first innings of a match between the Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, a young kid from Gujranwala ran in, gave it all and got his first-ever wicket in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Over that inaugural PSL season, Hasan Ali — now a household name — was the new kid on the block that barely anyone knew. However, that all changed once millions of eyeballs watched him give it his best in those opening encounters of the newly set-up premier T20 tournament.
Fast bowler Hasan Ali’s cricketing career coincides with the journey of the PSL as a league. He made his domestic debut in 2015, but it was the PSL which helped him hone his craft and, at the time of his international debut, he was more than ready for it.
Becoming the fastest to take 50 wickets for the Green Shirts in the ODI format — just a year into his international career — he was already the bowler of the tournament for an ICC event and had helped Pakistan win their first trophy in nearly eight years in the form of the Champions Trophy 2017.
Hasan credits a lot of those performances to the springboard that the PSL provided for him at the very start of his career.
“PSL was like a turning point for my career. If this league weren’t there, there is a possibility that I might have been limited to domestic cricket and would have made my international debut much later,” he tells Eos.
Throughout the years, as the fast bowler’s career went through ups and downs with injuries, PSL was a platform he used to return to the national fold.
This past 10th season, he made a comeback after an injury and went on to become the overall leading wicket-taker of the league.
FROM HASAN TO FAWAD
If Hasan was the fast bowler who made the most of the opportunity as an emerging player in the inaugural season of the PSL, Karachi’s Fawad Ali is the pacer who made waves in the recently concluded 10th season.
Hailing from the serene valleys of Swat, the right-arm pacer grew up playing tape ball cricket, like most young children do in the country. Like many blue-collar workers from that region do, he also went to Saudi Arabia and played cricket during his stay there.
Speaking about his journey to the PSL, Fawad relates how his mentors helped him bring him into the foray at the Kings. “Annu Bhai [Anwar Ali] has been pivotal to my journey, even guiding me on my diet plans and the latest fashion trends for haircuts!” Fawad says.
Those hard yards on the part of Fawad and his coaches culminated with him bowling the fastest ball of this season, clocked in at a brisk 150kph.
Fawad Ali celebrates with Hassan Ali and teammates after taking a wicket during the PSL X in Lahore in April. — Karachi Kings
He also got to meet the cricketer he idolised growing up, Australian pacer Shaun Tait. “When I got to know that he would be coaching Karachi, I was really excited to get to learn first-hand from him. Now I’m on such friendly terms with him, that I pick his brains all the time for bowling tips.”
Fawad’s journey also brings to the fore one of the most important aspects of the PSL — the financial freedom that the league provides in a country where athletes struggle to make a living, having to rely on the benevolence of donors and sponsors in order to pursue their careers.
Being the eldest in his household, Fawad hopes to build a house for his family, adding, “I would feel really proud if I could provide some relief to my father and brother by contributing towards my household.”
The league is also a springboard for greater cricketing endeavours. “PSL has given me an opportunity to experience the pressures that are associated with international cricket,” says Fawad, “and I hope that I will be able to fulfil my dream of playing for Pakistan.”
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
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- #119
THE FRANCHISE CONUNDRUM
The PSL turned 10 this year, and this year could bring about monumental changes in the league going into the second decade of its existence.
PSL X was nothing less than the extravaganza it was expected to be — although interrupted by a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, before the season completed with its usual furore. However, in terms of significance, the year is essentially just starting to take shape.
A view of fireworks illuminating the stadium during the grand opening ceremony of PSL Season 10 in Rawalpindi on April 11. — APP
When the PCB sold the franchises for a whopping $93 million back in 2015, the ownership was not in perpetuity but for a 10-year term. These contracts are up for renewal this year and, while it is entirely possible that the teams might not end up changing ownership, according to franchise officials, the renewal is dependent on the following conditions:
If the present market value is less than what the franchises are paying currently, there is an automatic 25 per cent increase in the annual fee of these franchises in order to renew their contracts. However, if the new value is more than the existing amount the franchises are paying, the new amount would be the difference in aggregate plus the already determined 25pc bump.
Karachi Kings Team Director Haider Azhar has been involved in the league in various capacities since its inception. He was with Multan Sultans in various capacities as well, winning the championship with Multan in 2021.
Speaking to Eos on the changes expected for this year, Haider says, “This year is a crucial year for the PSL and has to be handled by the board with the sensitivity it deserves.”
Haider explains that current terms create a conundrum. If a franchise is successful in creating a strong brand with a good market value, come the time of renewal, this actually requires franchises to pay more to continue with ownership of their team.
“The overall model of the league needs to be looked at, as it penalises you for developing the brand,” he says.
Speaking on the inclusion of new teams, Haider says: “I’m not at all against new teams coming in. But even in that, you’ll have to see what models are there, because when ownership changes hands multiple times, it damages your product as well as confidence.”
The PSL turned 10 this year, and this year could bring about monumental changes in the league going into the second decade of its existence.
PSL X was nothing less than the extravaganza it was expected to be — although interrupted by a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, before the season completed with its usual furore. However, in terms of significance, the year is essentially just starting to take shape.
A view of fireworks illuminating the stadium during the grand opening ceremony of PSL Season 10 in Rawalpindi on April 11. — APP
When the PCB sold the franchises for a whopping $93 million back in 2015, the ownership was not in perpetuity but for a 10-year term. These contracts are up for renewal this year and, while it is entirely possible that the teams might not end up changing ownership, according to franchise officials, the renewal is dependent on the following conditions:
If the present market value is less than what the franchises are paying currently, there is an automatic 25 per cent increase in the annual fee of these franchises in order to renew their contracts. However, if the new value is more than the existing amount the franchises are paying, the new amount would be the difference in aggregate plus the already determined 25pc bump.
Karachi Kings Team Director Haider Azhar has been involved in the league in various capacities since its inception. He was with Multan Sultans in various capacities as well, winning the championship with Multan in 2021.
Speaking to Eos on the changes expected for this year, Haider says, “This year is a crucial year for the PSL and has to be handled by the board with the sensitivity it deserves.”
Haider explains that current terms create a conundrum. If a franchise is successful in creating a strong brand with a good market value, come the time of renewal, this actually requires franchises to pay more to continue with ownership of their team.
“The overall model of the league needs to be looked at, as it penalises you for developing the brand,” he says.
Speaking on the inclusion of new teams, Haider says: “I’m not at all against new teams coming in. But even in that, you’ll have to see what models are there, because when ownership changes hands multiple times, it damages your product as well as confidence.”
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
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- #120
UNDERSTANDING PSL’S RAISON D’ETRE
An example of the type of innovation that the board could turn to, to help expand the league further was the extra fund in this year’s edition that helped with the inclusion of marquee players like David Warner.
As discussions continue between the stakeholders, what must not be lost sight of is how PSL continues to provide a springboard for young cricketers and the opportunity for a stable income in the sport to its participants.
From Hasan Ali in the first season to newcomer Fawad Ali this year, the league continues to be an oasis for cricketers in a country where social mobility is a pipe dream for most and athletes in other sports suffer due to an absolute dearth of monetary support systems.
In light of international developments too, PSL acts like a haven for Pakistani cricketers. As more and more leagues have increased participation from Indian Premier League franchise owners, the number of Pakistani players getting picked for these leagues has shrunk.
As the PSL steps into the second decade of its existence, one thing is for certain — all the decision-makers have to ponder over what route the league will take going forward. There are plenty of external and internal challenges going forward.
The writer is a member of staff
Published in Dawn, EOS, August 10th, 2025
An example of the type of innovation that the board could turn to, to help expand the league further was the extra fund in this year’s edition that helped with the inclusion of marquee players like David Warner.
As discussions continue between the stakeholders, what must not be lost sight of is how PSL continues to provide a springboard for young cricketers and the opportunity for a stable income in the sport to its participants.
From Hasan Ali in the first season to newcomer Fawad Ali this year, the league continues to be an oasis for cricketers in a country where social mobility is a pipe dream for most and athletes in other sports suffer due to an absolute dearth of monetary support systems.
In light of international developments too, PSL acts like a haven for Pakistani cricketers. As more and more leagues have increased participation from Indian Premier League franchise owners, the number of Pakistani players getting picked for these leagues has shrunk.
As the PSL steps into the second decade of its existence, one thing is for certain — all the decision-makers have to ponder over what route the league will take going forward. There are plenty of external and internal challenges going forward.
The writer is a member of staff
Published in Dawn, EOS, August 10th, 2025
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