The maiden season of the Pakistan Tremendous League turned out to be a giant hit among the many followers, as they now wait eagerly for the second season. And given how the PSL draft for the 2017 season went, issues can solely get extra attention-grabbing come the following season.
The second version of the Pakistan Tremendous League will start from February 9 in Dubai. Matches can be performed in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi aside from Dubai with the PSL 2017 ultimate to be performed in Lahore topic to safety clearances. With huge crowds anticipated to return to see the celebrities in motion in each Dubai and Sharjah, the push and demand for PSL tickets is ready to be big.
The Darren Sammy-led Peshawar Zalmi will tackle defending champions Islamabad United within the first sport of the event on February 9 which can comply with the PSL opening ceremony that night. This shall be adopted by a double-header on Friday, February 10 which is able to see the Lahore Qalandars play the Quetta Gladiators earlier than the Zalmis might be in motion but once more as they tackle the Karachi Kings.
On Saturday, February eleven, Islamabad can be in motion but once more as they play Lahore whereas the second sport will see the Gladiators tackle the Kings.
Every of the 5 sides shall be concerned in a double-leg spherical-robin league thereby taking part in eight video games every. The highest 4 groups will then qualify for the playoffs whereby the primary-ranked workforce on the finish of the league stage will tackle the second-positioned facet within the first playoff. The second playoff will see the third and the fourth ranked aspect tackle one another earlier than the shedding crew from the primary playoff faces the profitable group from the second playoff. The ultimate can be performed between the winner of the primary playoff and the third playoff.
The primary and second playoffs will probably be performed in Sharjah whereas the third playoff shall be hosted by Dubai. If the match will get its safety clearance the ultimate will probably be held on March 7 in Lahore.
PSL Schedule 2017 Time Table
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| February 9, 2017 | Opening Ceremony | Dubai |
| February 9, 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United | Dubai |
| February 10, 2017 | Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators | Dubai |
| February 10, 2017 | Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi | Dubai |
| February 11, 2017 | Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars | Dubai |
| February 11, 2017 | Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings | Dubai |
| February 12, 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars | Dubai |
| February 15, 2017 | Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators | Sharjah |
| February 16, 2017 | Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings | Sharjah |
| February 17, 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators | Sharjah |
| February 17, 2017 | Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United | Sharjah |
| February 18, 2017 | Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars | Sharjah |
| February 18, 2017 | Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi | Sharjah |
| February 19, 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings | Sharjah |
| February 20, 2017 | Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United | Sharjah |
| February 23, 2017 | Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators | Dubai |
| February 24, 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars | Dubai |
| February 24, 2017 | Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United | Dubai |
| February 25, 2017 | Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings | Dubai |
| February 25, 2017 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators | Dubai |
| February 26, 2017 | Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United | Dubai |
| February 28, 2017 | Playoff 1: Team 1 vs Team 2 | Sharjah |
| March 1, 2017 | Playoff 2: Team 3 vs Team 4 | Sharjah |
| March 3, 2017 | Playoff 3: Winner Playoff 2 vs Runner Up Playoff 1 | Dubai |
| March 7, 2017 | PSL 2017 Final | Lahore |
All matches will be played at two grounds – Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium as announced by the PCB.
The tournament already boasts of big international names such as Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Shane Watson, Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum and many more. Some of these players were retained by their respective teams, others were brought in during the auction while there were a few who joined in afresh.
The PSL draft for the 2017 season took place on October 19 this year, and similar to the last year, players were categorized in five groups – Diamond, Silver, Platinum, Gold and Emerging. The last category is particularly interesting, since the players in this group must be under 23 years of age as on January 1st, 2017. There was also a 9% increase in the salary caps of the players.
New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum and English T20 skipper Eoin Morgan were added not only to the Draft but also selected by teams during the Draft by respective teams. More than a dozen quality signings were also made for the draft and further selected by the five teams.
The Lahore Qalandars were given the first chance to pick up players in each category in the Draft and Islamabad United, on account of having won the title last season, were given the last chance.
The time table of PSL 2017 will runs over the course of 21 days with a total of 24 matches to be played. The T20 tournament will see five teams with each team representing a city participating in it. Plans are already in place for the PSL to become a 10 team league within five years. Watch this space for more updates.
