Everything You Need to Know About PSL 2017
Pakistan has many cricket lovers and those of your reading this article are surely one as well, so you will be able to relate well to the article. We have all sulked when Pakistan lost; we have been furious at the same time when we witnessed our players drop a catch or gotten out. But with that we have cheered them on every step of the way, we have supported them and have been proud of their performances. During matches we have cried, we have laughed, we have bit our nails, but most importantly we as Pakistanis have stood united behind our team in every tournament in every match in every bat and every ball.
The only time that Pakistan has come against each other is when the Pakistan Super League (PSL) started. Cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Peshawar have been at war with each other while supporting their teams to the fullest. And now this war is about to start again with the PSL T20 2017.
PSL History
Before we get started on the information about PSL 2017, let’s first quickly list down what PSL is all about and the outcomes of PSL 2016. First things first, the winners of PSL 2016 was Islamabad United who played the final match against Quetta Gladiators and won by six wickets.
The league’s establishment was announced in September 2015 and kicked off in Feb of 2016. There had been a few previous attempts to launch such a league, but they had all failed until the T20 format PSL league in 2016. There were five teams created for the tournament with different players coming from 11 different countries.
The administrator of the League is the governing body of PSL and PCB; currently, the league’s chairperson is Najam Sethi; and the official partner for the tournament was HBL. In the 2016 tournament, Umar Akmal scored the most runs of 335, and Andre Russell took the most wickets which were 16.
Dates and grounds.
Anyone who is a diehard fan of PSL already knows that the tournament was held in Sharjah in 2016. Well, this year it won’t be much different either. The matches are due to start on 9th February 2017 in Dubai.
Dubai is not the only place these games will be taking place. Various quarters of the tournament will be held in different locations such as Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Don’t be too disheartened as some matches will be held in the Pakistani city, Lahore, but these depend on the security clearances, whether they are achieved in time or not. The tournament is said to end on 7th March 2017; to further clarify the match information, Lahore will be hosting the final match of PSL 2017.
So if you are adamant of catching the game, it would be a good idea to get your tickets booked now as the rush at that time will be at an all time high with people rushing to grab a seat on the next flight to the ground to join their teams during the matches. The tickets to the games will run out soon as well so better get your hands on those.
PSL Teams
Similar to the previous season of PSL, there will be five teams playing this year as well. The teams are as follows:
- Karachi Kings
- Lahore Qalandars
- Quetta Gladiators
- Islamabad United
- Peshawar Zalmi
Currently, the Peshawar Zalmi are in the lead with 12 points and a net run-rate of 0.573, followed by Quetta Gladiators with 12 points and a net run-rate of 0.216, Islamabad United with 8 points and a net run-rate of -0.282, Karachi Kings with 4 points and a net run-rate of -0.036, and finally Lahore Qalandars with 4 points and a net run-rate of -0.536.
PSL Umpires
The league is not complete without its umpires; they are the glue that holds the entire league together. For such an event the league requires the best and expert panel of umpires to ensure that the matches go smoothly and no error in judgment is made. The shocking part is that the list of referees for PSL 2017 has not revealed yet, but that’s okay as the umpires list for PSL 2016 was also announced quite late. It is possible that the league may hire the same squad of umpires that were present the last time; it would only make more sense if they did especially since they are familiar with the tournament and its features. The list of umpires in 2016 consisted of:
- Joel Wilson
- Aleem Dar
- Shozab Raza
- Rashid Riaz
- Ahsan Raza
- Ahmed Shahab
These are the best umpires in the world, and they worked wonderfully well in the 2016 matches.
PSL Match Prediction
As you have already read above a little detail about the teams that will be playing in the tournament, we would like to highlight the fact these contenders are equally strong and each and every team has a great chance of coming on top. Every team has a few exceptional players that they will be highly dependent on and each team is promoting themselves to the fullest. The coaches of these teams are professional with years of experience on their resume, so we know for a fact that they have been trained thoroughly for the matches.
There is an intense competition between each and every match and many people are pouring in their suggestions over which team will be taking the cup home. At the moment it is unclear as to who holds the highest chances, but after a couple of matches, it will become clearer and easier to predict. You will need to consider the past tournament as well and add the statistics before coming to a conclusion.
Most of the players of every team are not familiar with the UAE grounds as they have not played there before, so it will take them time, and even the experienced ones, to get used to the weather, the ground, the pitch, etc. of UAE. This is a significant factor to consider as predictions will go horribly wrong if this is not taken into account.
Only time will tell who the real winner of PSL 2017 is going to be and may the best team take home the cup.