The schedule for 2019’s edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has finally been announced, with fans eagerly awaiting the star-studded affair…
The fourth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will begin on 14th February 2019 in Dubai and will run for roughly a month, with Karachi hosting the final on 17th March 2019. To add to the excitement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken a bold step by allocating the last eight matches to Pakistan as promised. This means that the public will be able to witness all six teams play on home soil.
With Karachi, Lahore, Dubai, and Sharjah previously hosting the matches, Abu Dhabi has also been added to the venue list for the first time. A total of 34 matches will be played in the PSL 2019 and for the first time in the tournament’s history, Lahore and Karachi will share 8 matches between them at the back-end of the 32-day event.
📢 With two months to go, the PCB announces schedule of #HBLPSL 2019.
📅 https://t.co/C9kNYWei6S#KhelDeewanoKa pic.twitter.com/tw984yIaAS
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) December 14, 2018
Karachi’s National Stadium will host the first of city’s 5 matches on March 7th 2019 as Karachi Kings face off against Peshawar Zalmi. The other 4 matches will be Karachi Kings vs. Quetta Gladiators on March 10th 2019, Qualifier 1 vs. Qualifier 2 on March 13th 2019, Eliminator 2 on March 15th 2019, and the PSL Final on March 17th 2019.
The iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host three matches, specifically Lahore Qalandars vs. Islamabad United on March 9th 2019, Lahore Qalandars vs. the Sixth Team on March 10th 2019 and Eliminator 1 (3rd vs. 4th) on March 12th 2019. All three matches will be played under floodlights.
With the #HBLPSL 2019 final set to be staged in Karachi, the captain of @KarachiKingsARY, @simadwasim has made his intentions clear!#KhelDeewanoKa pic.twitter.com/uTtOwM4pGZ
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) December 14, 2018
In addition to the games held at Gaddafi Stadium and National Stadium, 14 matches will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, 4 matches will be held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and 8 matches will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.
Given the tournament’s format, every side will play each other twice and after 30 matches, the top-four will advance to the play-offs. In the Qualifier on March 13th 2019, the table-toppers will play the second-placed side with the winner progressing to the final. The losing side will then get another chance to qualify for the Final during the Eliminator 2 on March 15th 2019. They will be pitted against the winner of Eliminator 1, which will be between the third and fourth-placed sides.
Breaking: The Multan Consortium led by Ali Tareen has won the franchise rights for the sixth team, by exceeding the reserve price.#HBLPSL pic.twitter.com/2ilyngfJBI
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) December 20, 2018
With just two months left till PSL 2019 kicks off, fans will be aching to witness more international cricket as Pakistan continues its revival as a cricketing venue.