Karachi Kings will begin from where they finished their successful Pakistan Super League 2020 campaign by taking on 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators in the opening fixture of the 2021 edition at the National Stadium on 20 February.
On the following day, 2020 finalists Lahore Qalandars will take on 2017 winners Peshawar Zalmi in a day fixture, while two-time winners Islamabad United will square off against Multan Sultans in the evening.
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The 30-day 34-match tournament will culminate with the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 22 March, marking the first time the venue will stage the final since 2017.
To safeguard the integrity of the PSL 2021 and to ensure the health and safety of all participants in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the PCB has decided to hold the matches in Karachi and Lahore only. The National Stadium will stage the first half of the competition, while the Pakistan cricket headquarters at the Gaddafi Stadium will be the venue of the second half of the competition, including the playoffs.
With regards to crowd attendances, since Covid-19 is an evolving situation, a decision will be made closer to time though the event organizers are continuously monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with the concerned government officials.
While preparing the event schedule, the organizers have ensured each side is playing an equal number of day and evening matches. Also, the event organizers have tried to make optimum use of the weekends while scheduling double-headers that will ensure maximum following and coverage.
The Support Period for the PSL 2021 will commence from 15 February and the foreign players competing in the league will arrive in Karachi with a negative PCR test. Upon arrival, they will require two more negative PCR tests before being allowed to train and compete in the competition. The asymptomatic players or support staff returning a positive test will have to serve a five-day isolation period with RT-PCR tests on day one and four.
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Event schedule (Day matches to start at 2 pm; Night matches to start at 7 pm; Friday’s double-headers to start at 3 pm and 8 pm, respectively):
Match No. | Day/Date | Fixture | Time | Venue |
1 | Saturday, 20 February | Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
2 | Sunday, 21 February | Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi | Day | National Stadium Karachi |
3 | Sunday, 21 February | Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
4 | Monday, 22 February | Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
5 | Tuesday, 23 February | Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
6 | Wednesday, 24 February | Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
7 | Friday, 26 February | Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans | Day | National Stadium Karachi |
8 | Friday, 26 February | Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
9 | Saturday, 27 February | Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans | Day | National Stadium Karachi |
10 | Saturday, 27 February | Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
11 | Sunday, 28 February | Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
12 | Monday, 1 March | Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
13 | Wednesday, 3 March | Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi | Day | National Stadium Karachi |
14 | Wednesday, 3 March | Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
15 | Thursday, 4 March | Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
16 | Friday, 5 March | Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
17 | Saturday, 6 March | Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators | Day | National Stadium Karachi |
18 | Saturday, 6 March | Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
19 | Sunday, 7 March | Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators | Day | National Stadium Karachi |
20 | Sunday, 7 March | Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings | Night | National Stadium Karachi |
21 | Wednesday, 10 March | Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
22 | Thursday, 11 March | Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
23 | Friday, 12 March | Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans | Day | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
24 | Friday, 12 March | Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
25 | Saturday, 13 March | Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans | Day | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
26 | Saturday, 13 March | Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
27 | Sunday, 14 March | Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi | Day | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
28 | Sunday, 14 March | Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
29 | Monday, 15 March | Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
30 | Tuesday, 16 March | Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
31 | Thursday, 18 March | Qualifier: Team 1 vs Team 2 | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
32 | Friday, 19 March | Eliminator 1: Team 3 vs Team 4 | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
33 | Saturday, 20 March | Eliminator 2: Eliminator Winner vs Qualifier Runner-up | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
34 | Monday, 22 March | FINAL | Night | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
For more news and updates, follow our PSL 2021 coverage.