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PSL 2021: The Pakistani Super League is back! PSL 2021 is just around the corner, and fans are waiting to see their favorite players in action once more. What started as a minor initiative of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Najam Sethi has grown to an international event with everyone on the edge of their seats.
The upcoming edition of PSL is already attracting cricket fans’ attention in Pakistan and generating excitement globally. The six franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have picked their sides for this year’s tournament, which promises to be one of the best editions so far. Check the complete squads of PSL Teams here.
Once again, the tournament will be held in Pakistan as all the matches for PSL 2021 will be played in four cities of Pakistan, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan. Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, and Islamabad United will have the home ground advantage in PSL 2021.
The tournament was set to make history once again by featuring new places like Bugti Stadium and Arbab Niaz Stadium in Quetta and Peshawar, respectively. However, unexpected situations (like the COVID-19) created issues for the stadiums to be used for PSL matches.
The PSL 2021 draft held in Karachi in January. Find out which players are retained by their franchises and new international stars set to shine in the draft pool of Pakistan Super League 2021. The franchises were allowed to retain a maximum of 8 players and have to keep the squad to 18 members only.
Quetta Gladiators
The Quetta Gladiators are strong contenders for Pakistan Super League 2021. With the inclusion of Jason Roy in their team, the 2019 champions look excellent on paper.
Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi is one of the fan-favorite teams of the Pakistan Super League. The Zalmi franchise won PSL in 2017. They have made some smart decisions in last year’s PSL draft as they picked players like Shoaib Malik and Tom Banton.
Islamabad United
Islamabad United is one of the best and consistent teams of PSL. Islamabad United is the only franchise to have won PSL two times. For PSL 2020, they retained all 8 players with the addition of Dale Steyn and Colin Ingram in their squad. Pakistan’s national team coach Misbah-ul-Haq will look to include more power hitters in the squad.
Karachi Kings
The team of one of the biggest city in Pakistan who failed to live up to fan expectations, until PSL 2020. The Kings overcame the odds to win their first-ever PSL tournament, outplaying arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars. With players like Babar Azam and Muhammad Amir in their team, Karachi Kings are set to defend their title this season.
Lahore Qalandars
In all previous editions of the Pakistan Super League, Lahore Qalandars failed to reach the play-offs stage of the tournament. However, in PSL 2020, Lahore Qalandars gave fans hope as the team made it to the finals for the first time in their history. Lahore is going to play most of the matches in Lahore and, with home ground advantage, fans have high expectations in PSL 2021.
Multan Sultans
In PSL 2018, Pakistan Cricket Board added one more team to the tournament, making it a six-team tournament. Multan Sultans have been an entertaining addition to the tournament from the get-go. The Sultans almost made it to the finals of PSL 2020 but fell short. The team was bought by Schön Properties. Before the PSL 2019 draft, the Multan Sultan owners failed to pay their annual fee of US$5.2 million to PCB, which resulted in contract expiration. Ali Khan Tareen and Taimoor Malik won the rights of the team in 2019, but they were unable to participate in the draft of the 2019 PSL. This year they have made some inclusions in the squad, and with Andy Flower as a coach, Multan Sultans fans have high expectations.
PSL 6 – Venues
Following the success of PSL 2020, the sixth edition of the tournament will also be played in Pakistan. Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Multan are the cities selected by PCB for PSL 2021, with two additional cities Quetta and Peshawar were set to feature this year as well. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis and precaution, both Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar and Bugti Stadium from Quetta will not be used.
