HBL PSL 8 Schedule, Teams and More

The HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) is back for its 8th season as cricket fans eagerly await the highly-anticipated tournament. This year’s tournament promises to be even more exciting, with new players adding to the already strong lineups of all six teams. The HBL PSL 8 schedule has now been announced, and cricket fans can look forward to a month of non-stop cricketing action.

Graana.com will take a closer look at the PSL 8 schedule and give a preview of what to expect from this year’s tournament.

Overview of HBL PSL

HBL PSL stands for “Habib Bank Limited Pakistan Super League.” It is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan. The league was installed in 2015, and it is called after its name sponsor, Habib Bank Limited (HBL), one of the biggest industrial banks in Pakistan.

The HBL PSL features franchise groups representing various cities in Pakistan. The teams compete in a tournament format, and the league has gained enormous popularity regionally and across the world. It serves as a platform for showcasing cricket expertise and has contributed to the revival of global cricket in Pakistan.

The HBL PSL consists of thrilling cricketing action, with top players participating in the league, making it one of the most beneficial T20 leagues globally. The league no longer best entertains cricket lovers but also plays a critical position in the improvement and merchandising of the game in Pakistan.

PSL at a Glance

HBL PSL 8 Schedule

The 8th edition of the Pakistan Super League is set to take place between February 13th and March 19th, 2023. The tournament will be held across four cricket stadiums in Pakistan, which include Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan.

According to the PSL 8 schedule, the opening match of the tournament will be played in Multan. For your convenience, we have shared the complete PSL 8 schedule.

First Leg of PSL 8

Second Leg of PSL 8

HBL PSL 8 Venues

The Pakistan Cricket Board announced their plans for the upcoming 2023 season of the Pakistan Super League, revealing that matches will be held in four cities across the country.

The cities chosen for the tournament are Multan, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi, which will host the matches in this edition of the Pakistan Super League. According to the PSL 8 schedule the first leg of the tournament will be played in Multan and Karachi.

Brand Ambassadors and First Season

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) was officially launched in September 2015 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and to promote the league across the country, former Pakistani national team captains, Wasim Akram and Rameez Raja, were signed as brand ambassadors.

In February 2016, the first season of the PSL match began in the United Arab Emirates. The league featured five teams based on the capital cities of Pakistan’s provinces and the Federal capital.

Player Recruitment and League Structure

The PSL uses a draft system for player recruitment, similar to that used in many North American professional sports leagues. This allows for a fair and competitive league where all teams have the opportunity to build a strong squad. 

Financial and Commercial Aspects

The commercial rights to the initial franchises were sold for US$93 million for a span of 10 years in December 2015. Since the first season, the market value of PSL has grown significantly, and as per estimates, in 2017, it was up to US$300 million.

This has attracted more investors and stakeholders in the league over the years. The high market value of PSL highlights its growing popularity and success, which is a positive sign for the league’s future.

HBL PSL 8 Draft

The 8th season of the Pakistan Super League’s player draft took place on December 15th, 2022. Teams were permitted to keep a maximum of 8 players and make any desired trades prior to the  PSL 8 draft.

Before the draft, Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi used the trade option with Pakistan Cricket team captain Babar Azam going to Peshawar Zalmi. In return, Shoaib Malik and Haider Ali were transferred to Karachi Kings.

The teams announced the retained PSL 8 schedule players list before the draft. Following is the list of players retained by each team, along with new draft picks in each round.

Players Retained by Islamabad United

For this edition of PSL, Islamabad United has retained eight players from last year’s team, which is mentioned in the table below.

New Draft Picks of Islamabad United

In this year draft, Islamabad United have picked players like Alex Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz that are known for their hard-hitting. They have also selected England All-rounder Moeen Ali in the Supplementary round.

Following is the list of players picked by Islamabad United in this year’s draft.

Complete Squad of Islamabad United

• Shadab Khan
• Asif Ali
• Mohammad Wasim Jnr
• Azam Khan
• Faheem Ashraf
• Hasan Ali
• Colin Munro
• Paul Stirling
• Alex Hales
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• Fazalhaq Farooqi
• Abrar Ahmed
• Sohaib Maqsood
• Rumman Raees
• Zeeshan Zamir
• Hassan Nawaz
• Moeen Ali
• Mubasir Khan

Players Retained by Karachi Kings

Before the draft, Karachi Kings traded their former captain Babar Azam to Peshawar Zalmi, and in return, they got Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik as their platinum and diamond rounds pick.

Following is the complete list of players retained for this year of PSL.

New Draft Picks of Karachi Kings

Karachi Kings have added Australian Wicket Keeper Matthew Wade in their squad who is known for hitting. Apart from Matthew Wade, they have picked some good local players, with Irfan Khan being picked in the emerging category. 

Complete Squad of Karachi Kings

• Haider Ali
• Imad Wasim
• Mohammad Amir
• Shoaib Malik
• Aamir Yamin
• Mir Hamza
• Sharjeel Khan
• Qasim Akram
• Matthew Wade
• Imran Tahir
• James Vince
• James Fuller
• Andrew Tye
• Tayyab Tahir
• Mohammad Akhlaq
• Irfan Khan Niazi
• Tabraiz Shamsi
• Mohammad Umar

Players Retained by Lahore Qalandars

Last year PSL winners have retained a total of eight players with star leg spinner Rashid Khan and fast-bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi being the notable players retained for the eighth edition of PSL.

New Draft Picks of Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars have picked some interesting new players in this draft, with Fakhar Zaman and Sikandar Raza being the most notable picks. 

Complete Squad of Lahore Qalandar

• Rashid Khan
• Haris Rauf
• Shaheen Shah Afridi
• David Wiese
• Abdullah Shafique
• Harry Brook
• Kamran Ghulam
• Zaman Khan
• Fakhar Zaman
• Hussain Talat
• Sikandar Raza
• Liam Dawson
• Dilbar Hussain
• Mirza Tahir Baig
• Ahmed Danlyal
• Shawaiz Irfan
• Jordan Cox
• Jalat Khan

Players Retained by Multan Sultans

This year Multan Sultan has retained the services of Pakistan Wicket Keeper Batsman Mohammad Rizwan, and South African hard hitter Rilee Rossouw. Given below is the complete retention list of Multan Sultans. 

New Draft Picks of Multan Sultans

In this draft, Multan Sultans picked Naseem Shah in the platinum category but Quetta Gladiators used the ‘Right to Match’ card that allows the team to bring back the former player to the squad.

With Naseem Shah going to Quetta Gladiators, Multan Sultan picked David Miller in the platinum category. Following is the list of new players selected in this year’s draft.

Complete Squad of Multan Sultan

• Mohammad Rizwan
• Khushdil Shah
• Rilee Rossouw
• Shan Masood
• Shahnawaz Dahani
• Tim David
• Abbas Afridi
• Ihsanullah
• David Miller
• Josh Little
• Akeal Hosein
• Usama Mir
• Usman Khan
• Sameen Gul
• Anwar Ali
• Mohammad Sarwar
• Adil Rashid
• Arafat Minhas

Players Retained by Peshawar Zalmi

Besides adding Babar Azam to their squad, Peshawar Zalmi has retained some great players from last year’s squad, which is mentioned in the table given below.

New Draft Picks of Peshawar Zalmi

Peshawar Zalmi have added some impressive players to this year’s squad with Jimmy Nesham and Bhanuka Rajapaksa being the most notable ones. We have mentioned the complete list of new draft picks of Peshawar Zalmi.

Complete Squad of Peshawar Zalmi

• Babar Azam
• Sherfane Rutherford
• Wahab Riaz
• Mohammad Haris
• Aamir Jamal
• Salman Irshad
• Tom-Kohler Cadmore
• Bhanuka Rajapaksa
• Rovman Powell
• Mujeeb ur Rahman
• Danish Aziz
• Arshad Iqbal
• Saim Ayub
• Usman Qadir
• Suifyan Muqeem
• Haseeb Ullah
• Jimmy Neesham

Players Retained by Quetta Gladiators

The champions of 2019 PSL, Quetta Gladiators have retained a total of 8 players from last year. Jason Roy, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed, etc., are some of the players retained for HBL PSL 8. 

New Draft Picks of Quetta Gladiators

Before the draft, Quetta Gladiators released Naseem Shah from their squad. However, during the draft, the franchise used the ‘Right to Match’ card which allowed them to bring Naseem Shah back in the squad as Multan Sultan picked him in the platinum category. 

Apart from bringing Naseem Shah back to the squad, the team has picked Martin Guptil, Wanindu Hasaranga and Odean Smith in this year’s draft. Following is the complete list of players picked by Quetta Gladiators. 

Complete Squad of Quetta Gladiators

• Mohammad Nawaz
• Iftikhar Ahmed
• Jason Roy
• Mohammad Hasnain
• Sarfaraz Ahmed
• Naveen ul Haq
• Umar Akmal
• Will Smeed
• Wanindu Hasaranga
• Naseem Shah
• Odean Smith
• Ahsan Ali
• Umaid Asif
• Muhammad Zahid
• Abdul Bangalzai
• Aimal Khan
• Martin Guptill
• Omair Bin Yousuf

PSL 8 Schedule – Official Broadcasters

For the first three seasons of the Pakistan Super League (2016-2018), production rights were awarded to Sunset and Vine, and broadcast rights were awarded to PTV Sports HD, Ten Sports HD, and Geo Super HD in Pakistan. The global television rights were sold to Tech Front, a UAE group.

For the next three seasons (2019-2021), the global television rights were sold to Blitz Advertising for a significant increase of 358% from the previous deal. The production rights were also sold to TransGroup International. 

The local TV broadcast rights saw a 50% increase for 2022-2023, and the league signed a two-year broadcast deal with PTV Sports HD, A Sports HD, and Ten Sports HD. For the next four seasons (2022-2025), production rights were again sold to TransGroup International as the official global Broadcaster.

Following is the list of authorised local and TV broadcasters of the HBL Pakistan Super League.

Conclusion

HBL PSL 8 promises to be a tournament filled with exciting matches, top-notch talent, and an electrifying atmosphere. With the PSL 8 Schedule now announced, cricket fans can start planning their schedules to ensure they don’t miss out on even a single match of one of the top T20 leagues in the world. So gear up and get ready for a month of non-stop cricketing action with the HBL PSL 8.

For more related information regarding PSL 8 Schedule, tickets and live stream, visit Graana blog.

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