Karachi:Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the schedule of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which will kick off with the match between defending champions Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars in Dubai on February 14, 2019 and culminate with the final in Karachi on March 17.
Thirty-four matches will be played in the fourth edition and for the first time in the short history of the tournament, Lahore and Karachi will share eight matches between them at the backend of the 32-day event.
Karachi’s National Stadium will host the first of their five matches on March 7, 2019 when Karachi Kings will take on Peshawar Zalmi under lights. The other four matches will be: Karachi Kings versus Quetta Gladiators on March 10, 2019, Qualifier 1 versus Qualifier 2 on March 13, 2019, Eliminator 2 on March 15, 2019 and the final on March 17, 2019.
The iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will be the venue of three matches, namely: Lahore Qalandars versus Islamabad United on March 9, 2019, Lahore Qalandars versus the Sixth team on March 10, 2019 and Eliminator 1 (3 v 4) on March 12, 2019. All the three matches will be played under floodlights.
In addition to the Gaddafi Stadium and National Stadium, 14 matches will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, four matches will be held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and eight matches will be staged at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.
According to the event format, each side will play the other twice with the top-four after 30 event matches advancing to the play-offs. In the March 13, 2019 Qualifier, the table-toppers will play the second-placed side with the winner progressing to the final. The losing side will get a second chance to qualify for the final when, in the March 15, 2019 Eliminator 2, they will play the winner of March 12, 2019 Eliminator 1, which will be between the third and fourth-placed sides.
South Africa’s AB de Villiers and Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe, who will wear Lahore Qalandars’ kits, and Steve Smith of Australia, who will represent the sixth team, are three of the 19 players expected to make their PSL debuts in 2019.
The others 16 are: Fawad Ahmed, Qais Ahmed, Corey Anderson, Ian Bell, Dan Christian, Ben Dunk, Laurie Evans, Harry Gurney, Liam Livingstone, Wayne Madsen, Tom Moores, Sandeep Lamichanne, Wayne Parnell, Sikander Raza, Waqar Salamkheil and Phil Salt.