PCB announce schedule for PSL 5

The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the schedule of this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL), with all 34 matches being played in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan from February 20 to March 22.

The tournament kicks off on February 20 at the National Stadium of Karachi as defending champions Quetta Gladiators take on two-time champions Islamabad United.

The two eliminators as well as the final will be played in Lahore at the Gaddafi Stadium this time around, with Karachi hosting the first qualifier.

Gaddafi gets the lion’s share of the games, with 14 slated to be played at the home of Lahore Qalandars, while nine will be played at the National Stadium. The Pindi Cricket Stadium will host eight matches while the Multan Sultans will play three of their games at home at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

 “After bringing Test cricket back to Pakistan, hosting of the entire Pakistan Super League is our other major achievement,” PCB chairman Ehsan Mani was quoted as saying in a press release by the board. “I never had any doubts it was Pakistan’s league and should be played in front of home crowds. We had made this commitment to the people of Pakistan at the end of last year’s event and I am pleased today we have announced the event schedule with four centres to share the 34 event matches between them.”

Mani further highlighted how players are now much more willing to tour Pakistan. “The Pakistan Super League 2020 will feature 36 foreign stars,” he said. “It was gratifying that 425 overseas players from 22 countries registered their interest in playing. This shows the confidence that players throughout the world have in playing in Pakistan. Through this event, we expect economy and tourism to get significant boost, which will have a direct impact on the overall health of the country.”