All You Need to Know About the Pakistan Super League

Everything To Know Before Following Online Pakistan Super League

Cricket has always been a predominant sport in Pakistan. Judging from their exploits in international cricket over the years, it’s obvious that the nation occupies a major spot among the top cricket-playing nations of the world. Apart from the international scene, cricket has also been a major part of the nation’s domestic sports. Over the years, cricket as a sport in Pakistan has consistently undergone numerous changes, with new tournaments founded and existing ones restructured.

One of the recent developments regarding the country’s domestic cricket is the establishment of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The league, launched in 2015, has rapidly risen in rank to be the top professional domestic cricket league in the nation. Today, the league currently ranks among the top domestic cricket leagues worldwide. The PSL has gained massive value and prominence in the short time it has existed. It has also garnered some attention in the international sports betting market. This implies that PSL fans and punters worldwide can wager on any PSL match. You can visit https://pari-match.in/en/cricket-psl to bet on any PSL game of your choice.

The PSL currently features six contesting teams. Since the first game in 2016, the competition has lasted seven seasons, including this year’s edition, which saw the Lahore Qalandars win the title for the first time.

This article will cover everything you need to know about the Pakistan Super League. From how it came into existence to its history, structure, and teams.

How the League Began

In the past decade, there has been a sporadic rise in the number of T20 domestic cricket leagues worldwide. One of the major factors responsible for this development is the rise of the notable Indian Premier League (IPL) and the huge success it has recorded so far. This has led to similar cricket leagues springing up in neighboring countries, eager to cash in on the success of India’s homegrown T20 tournament. One such recently established league is the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The league’s governing body officially announced its establishment in 2015. However, the first league season did not start until 2016, hosted in the United Arab Emirates. The competition featured only five teams in its inaugural season. Because it was hosted in the UAE, the season involved a large percentage of international players, even though the teams are based in the capital provinces in Pakistan. The league’s first season ended with Islamabad United lifting the title after defeating the Quetta Gladiators in an action-packed encounter by 6 wickets.

Expansion of the League

The following season in 2017, there were proposals to expand the league by introducing a sixth team. This decision led to the Schön Properties-owned franchise, Multan Sultans, joining the league in 2018. The new team started on a strong footing by winning their first match of the season, but they could not keep up the momentum and ended up finishing fifth in the league that season. However, they won their first league title in 2021 when they finished second in the group stage and defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs in the final.

So far, the Leonine Global Investments-owned franchise, Islamabad United, has won the most league titles – a total of two. All the other five teams in the league have won the league title at least once. This shows the high level of competitiveness of the league.

League Organization

The league was founded and is overseen by the Pakistan Cricket Board. However, unlike some other domestic T20 cricket leagues worldwide, the league isn’t run like an association. Instead, each team in the league is owned and controlled by independent investors, as all the first five team franchises were sold in the first season of the competition for a combined price of US$93 million. The sixth team was also sold when it was established in 2017 for US$5.2 million but was resold for 6.35 million in 2018.

Each year, the competition is scheduled to run from February to March. However, in 2020 and 2021, there was a rescheduling due to the Covid 19 Pandemic. The next edition of the league is scheduled to be held between February and March next year. As expected, fans and pundits are already touting the Multan Sultans as favorites to lift the title.

Competition Format

Like most T20 cricket leagues worldwide, the Pakistan Super league is played in a double round-robin format. This means that each team in the league plays every other team twice, one home match and one away match, culminating in 10 matches played per team. After this first round, the top four teams then qualify for the semi-final, where the winner from the two qualifying matches played in this stage will contest for the title in the final.

Conclusion

There isn’t too much to the Pakistan Premier League in terms of history. However, the league’s growth and prominence in its short history have been rapid, as has the majority of the T20 domestic cricket leagues established recently. Remember to visit Parimatch to bet on the PSL or your other favorite cricket games.