Pakistan Super League PSL 2019
The 2019 edition of the Pakistan Super League will begin on February 14, 2019, and eight of the matches will be played in Pakistan as confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board. This call was taken on September 15 by the PCB and the PSL franchises after a meeting at the NCA. The last eight games of the 2019 PSL will be played in Pakistan, including the final which will be played in Karachi like last season. PCB intends to hold three matches in Lahore while Karachi to host five matches including the season-finale that will be held on March 17. Tickets for PSL matches in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi available online here.
The fourth season of the Pakistan Super League will be played across five venues, three in UAE and two in Pakistan. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai are the three stadiums in UAE while the two Pakistani venues include Lahore and Karachi. The final will be held in Karachi.
According to latest reports, the contract of Multan Sultans with Schon Properties Broker LLC has been terminated because of allegations of non-payment of dues. However, the team (renamed as the “The Sixth Team” for now) will continue to exist with the ownership said to transfer to the PCB.
According to latest reports, eight PSL matches will be played in Pakistan this season with PCB chief Ehsan Mani promising they were looking at bringing the entire PSL to Pakistan in two to three years.
While the increased security is an obvious reason for this decision, one other reason that the PSL Governing Council might have taken this call is because the PCB had tried to negotiate with the Emirates Cricket Board to not host any T20 tournaments at least 35 days before the PSL in order to avoid any marketing or logistical issues.
What was also confirmed was that South African cricket legend AB de Villiers will be playing in this edition of the PSL and will feature for the Lahore Qalandars after he became the first pick of the PSL Draft this season. More news on de Villiers’ selection can be found here.
By bringing the PSL Opening Ceremony into Pakistan, it could well be the next step that the PCB is taking in bringing the entire tournament back in Pakistan. And it’s not just the opening ceremony but the PCB has also decided they will play a few more matches in Pakistan and if reports are to be believed players won’t be allowed to pick and choose matches.
Till recently, players were allowed to play in the UAE and opt out of featuring in Pakistan and those who made the trip to the country were paid extra. Going forward, neither of these possibilities will be allowed. In fact some of the teams made it very clear during the Draft they were going to pick only those players who were happy to feature in Pakistan for those eight games during the PSL.
The PSL 2019 schedule for the fourth season has now been revealed. The PSL Draft was held on November 20 after the teams were allowed to retain up to 10 players apiece. Here’s how you can buy PSL tickets for 2019.
What’s interesting to note is that the grand opening ceremony of this edition of the PSL will be hosted on February 14, with performances from some of the biggest names in the global and Pakistani entertainment industry.
Apart from probably the biggest name to grace the PSL Opening Ceremony, Pitbull, the likes of Junoon, Boney M, Young Desi, Fawad Khan, Aima Baig & Shuja Haider will all take part in the opening ceremony.
This opening ceremony will be followed by the first match of the PSL 2019 between Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars.
What happened in the Earlier Seasons
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