Before the next PSL season starts, two new teams will join, and the Multan franchise will see a change in ownership. Three new PSL teams will feature in the 11th season of the tournament, which is just a few months away.
Before going into what a new PSL should do for success, we need to set what we actually mean by success. So success is not just winning a title. In a T20 franchise tournament like PSL, when it is going to clash with IPL regularly, and it might not attract A-star overseas players regularly, you need to have balance and consistency as well. So, in my opinion, a key factor of a successful PSL team is to have a balanced local and overseas core of players.
Now, what to follow for success in PSL, or which teams to follow in setting a method to gain success in this tournament? I personally would categorize three PSL teams as successful if we count only the tournaments held in Pakistan: Islamabad United, Multan Sultans, and Lahore Qalandars (not in any order).
Now, Islamabad United and Multan Sultans followed a pattern, but Lahore Qalandars more so learned from their mistakes over the years and made their own ecosystem, which took its time to perfect. Now they are in the form of their life, winning the title three out of four seasons.
So there is a three-pronged way to success in PSL based on what other successful teams did (in terms of player selection).
Disclaimer: The three-prong name is a reference to the fact that the writer is a Brooklyn 99 fan.
Prong #1 – Local Core
The local core is very important for any franchise T20 tournament anywhere across the world. Establishing the local core for a new team entering the tournament in its 11th season can be tough. For that, you have to anticipate other teams’ retentions and look for players who have a high ceiling that they have yet to reach, with age on their side. For the sake of example, it can be Mohammad Haris.
Now, looking at the example of other teams, in the case of their success, their local players, and not just their captains, had a big role, like Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf for Islamabad United, Fakhar Zaman for Lahore Qalandars, or Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood, or Khushdil Shah for Multan Sultans.
Prong #2 – Overseas Consistency
In the rapidly evolving world of T20 cricket and the increasing number of T20 leagues across the world, it is very crucial for sustained success that you also have an overseas core that stays consistent, and players become cult figures for the franchise’s success in the tournament over many seasons.
For the successful teams, there are a lot of players who stuck to their teams and led them to sustained success, like Colin Munro and Alex Hales for Islamabad United, Rashid Khan, David Wiese, and Sikandar Raza for Lahore Qalandars, or Chris Jordan and Rilee Rossouw for Multan Sultans.
Prong #3 – Emerging Players
One of the things that makes PSL unique is the player development system within the tournament. All teams must have at least two emerging players in the squad and field at least one emerging player. Since one of the emerging players must play all matches, teams have understood their importance over the years.
Most of the titles in recent years have been influenced by emerging players. For example, for Lahore Qalandars’ twin titles in 2022 and 2023, Zaman Khan was perhaps one of their most crucial players. Similarly, for Multan’s success in 2021, Shahnawaz Dahani was very crucial, and in their runs to the final in the succeeding seasons, the performance of Ihsanullah and Abbas Afridi was crucial.
Islamabad United’s emerging players changed most of the time, but the importance of the younger Shah brothers in their recent title win was undeniable. Similarly, Wasim Jr.’s contribution early on in Islamabad’s consistent playoff qualification was crucial too.
Off the Field Matters
Any franchise’s management structure also matters a lot. Consistent coaching and management structure have helped many teams worldwide. For example, in IPL, the involvement of Stephen Fleming in CSK has been very helpful, along with Michael Hussey, who has been a crucial part of their management as well. Similarly, Eric Simons has also been part of CSK’s management for more than seven years.
If we look at the Big Bash, their most successful franchise, the Perth Scorchers, has had Adam Voges as their Head Coach since 2018. Another successful IPL team, the Mumbai Indians, has retained most of its ex-players in management. Mahela Jayawardene has been their head coach for most of the time since 2017, along with Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga joining him after their retirement. Sachin Tendulkar has also been involved in mentoring capacities for a long time.
If we talk specifically about PSL, as discussed before, Lahore Qalandars followed a separate route, perfecting their own system and ecosystem. However, Islamabad United and Multan Sultans followed a path to prolonged success from the start, with overseas head coaches who have been successful in the franchise circuit in different countries, like Dean Jones and Andy Flower.
To make sure that the foreign coach does not get lost in the change of culture, language, and country, they are surrounded by local coaches and support staff, like Azhar Mahmood and Hanif Malik for Islamabad United or Abdur Rahman and Mushtaq Ahmed for Multan Sultans.
Along with that, a vital part of any T20 franchise nowadays is the Team Analyst or General Manager; for that role, Rehan-ul-Haq and Hassan Cheema played a key role in Islamabad United’s success, and Haider Azhar in Multan Sultans’ success.
Conclusion
Making a newly bought PSL team successful is very possible. To do that, you need to study previously successful teams; what they planned and did, how they executed it, what to change, and then replicate it for your own team.
All of that needs to reflect firstly in the selection of your management, and then further trickle down in your player selection.
About the Author: Zaid Babar Khan
Data geek, Cricket fanatic, Haris Rauf and Lahore Qalandars fan, and an article writer
