PSL kicks off with colourful ceremony

Geo Super telecasts every moment live

DUBAI: A colourful but impressive opening ceremony of Pakistan’s first-ever T20 league, Pakistan Super League (PSL), was held in Dubai on Thursday.

The PSL, the first-ever international T20 league of Pakistan, started in the United Arab Emirates with the first clash of star-studded Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators. The PSL will last till February 23. The PSL opening ceremony is actually a carnival of T20 cricket. It is a ‘mela’. It is going to be the biggest-event ever in Pakistan’s cricket history. Even cricketers abroad are excited about the event.

Pakistani artist Ali Zafar and hip-hop star Sean Paul, Mohib Mirza and Sanam Saeed performed at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday night. The programme was packed with music, dances and the flags of all the competing teams. The colourful extravaganza, watched by thousands of fans in the stadium who were wearing wristbands (introduced first time in this region) which lights different colours during the ceremony. The opening ceremony featured a feast of entertainment. It was followed by a cultural performance by a group of women dancers showcasing the rich heritage of Pakistan. Geo Super telecast all this live to its viewers.

The first edition of the Pakistan Super League got off to a colourful start with a star-studded opening ceremony with a host of celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment in attendance. The one hour 30 minutes affair had hordes of spectators at the jampacked stadium in thrall. The programme included massive fireworks, a tremendous light show and first time laser beam light effects.

The five teams in the event have been led by Misbahul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz Ahmad, while international T20 stars Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakkara, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson and many others also shine in the Pakistani league.

Pakistan launched its first franchise-based Twenty20 league in the UAE as its cash-strapped cricket board seeks to boost revenues and reverse the national team’s slide in the game’s shortest format. The long-awaited first edition of the PSL follows two previous attempts that fell through over lack of sponsorships and the suspension of international cricket at home in the wake of a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009.

With Pakistan’s once-dominant Twenty20 side sliding to a lowly seventh place in world rankings following the recent series loss against New Zealand, the organisers are keen for local talent to hone their skills alongside the world’s best players, including Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen and Shane Watson.

Featuring 69 local and 29 foreign stars, the five-team 24-match league will end on February 23. It will be held at two stadiums in Sharjah and Dubai — Pakistan’s home away from home since 2009. All participating teams have a varied mix of foreign and local players. Some of the star line ups in the league include Dwyane Bravo, Kevon Cooper, Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Misbahul Haq, ‘Boom Boom’Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Kevin Pieterson, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Umer Gul, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara and many other cricket stars.

The five teams ‘Karachi Kings’, ‘Quetta Gladiators’, ‘Lahore Qalandars’, ‘Islamabad United’ and ‘Peshawar Zalmi’ will be fighting it out for glory. Things are heating up in Dubai, which is playing host to Pakistan Super League (PSL). Aside from celebrity endorsements and support, PSL will provide a learning curve to aspiring youngsters as they rub shoulders with legendary cricketers like Sir Vivian Richards and the collective explosive talent of the likes of Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen among many notable others.

The opening ceremony featured performance from Ali Zafar (who has also sung the PSL official anthem, ‘Khel KeDekha’), rap-reggae artist Sean Paul (famous for the annoyingly addictive single ‘Get Busy’) and Pakistan’s original rocker Ali Azmat. The lead pair of Sanam Saeed and Mohib Mirza also performed and charmed the audience. It was an entertaining evening mixed with some blistering cricket.