PSL 2021
Pakistan Premier League is all set to start on 20th February 2021 with the first match to be held between Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings at the National Stadium in Karachi. PSL 2021 is going to be the sixth season of the franchise since its inception and like always, it will be managed by the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board).
Coronavirus and PSL
Since the coronavirus pandemic is still gripping the world, the PCB has decided to allow only 20 per cent of the maximum capacity of grounds to be filled with spectators. While this is somewhat bad news, it has to be done to avoid the spread of the deadly virus.
PSL 2021 Teams
The teams which will be playing are the same six ones which competed in the last edition of the league. They are (ranking in this list is unordered and has nothing to do with individual team’s performance)-
1.    Karachi Kings
2.    Multan Sultans
3.    Lahore Qalandars
4.    Islamabad United
5.    Quetta Gladiators
6.    Peshawar Zalmi
They will all be playing thirty-four matches in total before the finalists meet for a final fight on 22nd March at 19:30 (Pakistan Standard Time) in the well-known Gaddafi Stadium. For sure, it is going to be an exciting journey and it will be also worth it to watch it.
For those fans who can’t go to the stadiums because of the Covid-19 restrictions, there is no need to worry since the matches are going to be telecasted on TV as well. Do enjoy them and stay safe in this time of the pandemic.
Past Winners of PSL
PSL was introduced in 2016 and since its inception, the team which has won the maximum number of titles has been Islamabad United (two times). The current holder of the championship is the Karachi Kings. Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators both have won the title once each. Who do you think has the maximum chance of winning the league this year? Drop your suggestions in the comments section.
PSL 2021 Schedule
The PSL schedule from the first match to the last game is as follows.
Teams |
Date |
| Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators | 20/02/2021 |
| Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi | 21/02/2021 |
| Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans | 21/02/2021 |
| Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators | 22/02/2021 |
| Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans | 23/02/2021 |
| Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United | 24/02/2021 |
| Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans | 26/02/2021 |
| Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators | 26/02/2021 |
| Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans | 27/02/2021 |
| Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United | 27/02/2021 |
| Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars | 28/02/2021 |
| Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators | 01/03/2021 |
| Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi | 03/03/2021 |
| Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans | 03/03/2021 |
| Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United | 04/03/2021 |
| Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings | 05/03/2021 |
| Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators | 06/03/2021 |
| Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars | 06/03/2021 |
| Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators | 07/03/2021 |
| Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings | 07/03/2021 |
| Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi | 10/03/2021 |
| Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars | 11/03/2021 |
| Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans | 12/03/2021 |
| Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars | 12/03/2021 |
| Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings | 13/03/2021 |
| Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi | 13/03/2021 |
| Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators | 14/03/2021 |
| Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings | 14/03/2021 |
| Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United | 15/03/2021 |
| Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars | 16/03/2021 |
| Playoff match | 18/03/2021 |
| Playoff match | 01/03/2021 |
| Playoff match | 01/03/2021 |
| Final | 01/03/2021 |
PSL 2021 Start Date
The start date for PSL as we mentioned before is 20th February 2021. The champions Karachi Kings are going to be facing the Quetta Gladiators. It is going to be an exciting game for sure as both teams have won PSL once. Hopefully, fans will get to see some competitive cricket action.
PSL 2021 Squad For All Teams
Peshawar Zalmi Squad: Wahab Riaz (c), Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Haider Ali, Ravi Bopara, Saqib Mahmood, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Umaid Asif, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Amad Butt, David Miller, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sherfane Rutherford
Quetta Gladiators Squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Chris Gayle, Tom Banton, Dale Steyn, Faf du Plessis, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Ben Cutting, Zahid Mahmood, Usman Khan Shinwari, Qais Ahmad, Usman Khan, Abdul Nasir, Saim Ayub, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Cameron Delport.
Multan Sultans Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Carlos Brathwaite, Shahid Afridi, James Vince, Imran Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shan Masood, Sohail Tanvir, Chris Lynn, Sohail Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaib Ullah, Adam Lyth, Imran Khan Sr, Rilee Rossouw, Usman Qadir, Shahnawaz Dhani, Muhammad Umar
Karachi Kings Squad: Imad Wasim (c), Aamer Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Chadwick Walton, Dan Christian, Colin Ingram, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Ilyas, Noor Ahmed, Danish Aziz, Joe Clarke, Qasim Akram, Zeeshan Malik
Lahore Qalandars Squad: Sohail Akhtar (c), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Ben Dunk, David Wiese, Dilbar Hussain, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Faizan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ahmed Danyal, Maaz Khan, Zeeshan Ashraf, Joe Denly, Tom Abell, Salman Ali Agha, Rashid Khan, Samit Patel, Zaid Alam
Islamabad United Squad: Shadab Khan (c), Alex Hales, Akif Javed, Asif Ali, Fawad Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Paul Stirling, Lewis Gregory, Phil Salt, Rohail Nazir, Musa Khan, Ahmed Saifi Abdullah, Zafar Gohar, Hassan Ali, Ali Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jr
Why PSL 2021 Postponed?
The PCB after conducting an emergency meeting with the management of the PSL franchises has decided to postpone PSL 2021 for now. The reason as many of you might have possibly guessed is a Covid-19 outbreak.
Covid-19 Outbreak
Around 7 people received the test results for the coronavirus to be positive. Out of these 7, six were players. This prompted the organizers to cancel the remaining part of the PSL.
The problem was that these infections weren’t just limited to a single team. But they were spread out to several teams. Now, the drama hasn’t ended just here. Because PCB is now trying to blame the players and franchises and vice versa.
Whosoever’s fault it may have been, cricket in Pakistan has suffered as a result. The most logical explanation for what has happened is that either the players or the hotel staff breached bio-bubble isolation protocols.
What Is Next?
PCB’s priority now would be to make sure that the overseas players who came to Pakistan to play cricket can safely return to their home countries and those who have gotten infected receive proper medical attention.
This is going to affect the economy of Pakistan as well. Because millions of rupees which people had committed for marketing, for buying broadcasting rights will now be sitting ducks. Given the fact that Covid-19 is already taking a toll, this would further send them in a downward economic spiral.
Dale Steyn Gets Trolled As Expected
A few days back Dale Steyn had made a statement that playing in PSL is far more rewarding than playing in IPL. As we all had expected, he was trolled left, right and centre by netizens. Who created a meme feast out of the whole situation. It should be noted that Dale Steyn plays for RCB in the IPL.
