PSL 2023

Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023

The eighth edition of PSL is right around the corner with the excitiement of Pakstan’s biggest sporting event at an all-time high. PSL 2023 promises to be bigger than ever.

Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, and Multan Sultans will be fighting to be crowned as the T20 champions of Pakistan as they play a gruelling month long tournament. Islamabad United will be looking to win the title and remain the only team with multiple PSL titles, while the other six franchises will be aiming to join United as two-time PSL champions.

PSL 8 will be held from 13 February to 19 March at at least four venues across the country. Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi are confirmed as hosts while decision is being made regarding holding matches in Quetta as well.

Pakistani and International superstars will be determined to light the stadiums on fire as PLS fever grips the circketing fans in the country.

PSL 2023 Draft

The PSL draft is an annual event in which the six teams in the league select players to join their teams for the upcoming season. The PSL 2023 draft was held on 15 December 2022 as teams assembled their squads for the mega-event.

Each team is allowed to build its squad by selecting a certain number of players from a pool of available players. The available players consist of a mix of local and international players.

The teams are ranked according to the draft pick order, The draft order then proceeds in reverse order of the teams’ finishes from the previous season, so the team that finished fifth gets the second pick, and so on. This system is designed to give the weaker teams a chance to improve their squads and become more competitive.

International stars such as David Miller, Alex Hales, Matthew Wade and Wanindu Hasaranga were sme of the top names that were picked in the PSL 8 draft.

PSL 2023 Draft Pick Order

Defending champions, Lahore Qalandars yet again were the lucky team as they were awarded the 1st pick in the platinum category of the PSL 8 draft. They also bagged the first pick in the diamond category, the gold category and the emerging category, which provided them a chance to get a star-studded squad.

Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, and Islamabad United all had a few number one picks in various categories while Multan Sultans was the unlucky side with first pick in second round of gold category and fifth round of silver category.

Draft Rules

All six PSL franchises are allowed to have a maximum of 18 players in its squad, including a maximum of 8 foreign players. The picks are divided into 6 categories.

All franchises are allowed to pick at least 3 players from the platinum category, 3 players from the diamond category, 3 players from the gold category, 5 players from silver, 2 players from the emerging category, and 2 players in the supplementary category.

Each team is allowed to retain 8 players from the previous season, who were announced prior to the PSL 8 draft. The team’s can also retain one extra player in the draft according to right-to-match rules. Each team can play only four international players in each match along with one emerging player in their playing eleven.

The pool of available players in the PSL 2023 draft consist of a mix of local and international players.

Quetta Gladiators

Quetta, one of the most successful sides in PSL history have been a shadow of their former selves in the recent seasons.

Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side will be looking to bounce back after a below-par performance in the previous season. The likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Jason Roy, and Martin Guptill makes them one of the most exciting teams to look forward to in PSL 2023.

Peshawar Zalmi

Peshawar Zalmi will be looking to bounce back in style and with the induction of Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, Zalmi look like a force to be reckoned with.

Babar will lead a star-studded squad which includes fiery pacer, Wahab Riaz, Sri Lanka’s hard-hitting batter, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Pakistan’s T20 World Cup hero, Mohammad Haris. The team has all the ingredients to go all the way in PSL 8.

Islamabad United

Still the only two-time champions of PSL, Islamabad United, once again fell at the playoffs stage the previous season.

Shadab Khan-led side has added the likes of Abrar Ahmed, Mubasir Khan, and English all-rounder, Moeen Ali to an already star-studded squad which includes Alex Hales, Colin Munro and a strong Pakistani contingent. Expect fireworks from this side in 2023 PSL.

Karachi Kings

Karachi’s previous season was horrid to say the least. They traded Babar Azam to Peshawar Zalmi and acquired the services of Shoaib Malik and Haider Ali.

Induction of Matthew Wade, Imran Tahir, and Tabraiz Shamsi makes them one of the most well-rounded squads in the tournament. Karachi will be hoping to have a quick turn around and win their second PSL trophy.

Lahore Qalandars

Defending champions, Lahore Qalandars, shocked the cricketing world as they won their first PSL title in the previous season.

Shaheen Afridi-led side will be hoping for history to repeat itself and become a multiple PSL champion. Lahore have picked up the likes of Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson and Hussain Talat to provide freshness to their squad without tinkering their strategy. Lahore is one of the favorites for PSL 8.

Multan Sultans

Multan Sultans will be looking to bounce back after a defeat in the previous edition’s final and go one step further this time.

The team led by star wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, have added to their quality with the likes of David Miller, Josh Little, and Adil Rashid, which makes them one of the strongest sides in the tournament. Expect them to be the star team of PSL 2023.

PSL 2023 Venues

PSL 8 will be held in a number of venues across Pakistan. Here is the full list of the venues that will be used in PSL 2023

  • Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
  • Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan
  • National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi
  • Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
  • Bugti Stadium, Quetta

PSL management is pondering over holding a few matches in Quetta this time around. This will be the first time in history that PSL matches will be played at the venue.

Historically, some of the matches in the PSL have been held outside of Pakistan, in locations such as the United Arab Emirates.

PSL 2023 Schedule

PSL 8 is scheduled to commence on 13 February at Multan Cricket Stadium. The tournament will consist of 34 matches as the six teams fight for the coveted title. The competition will be held at 4 venues, Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan, while Quetta is also viewed as a potential venue. The final of the tournament will be played on 19 March at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.


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