Quetta Gladiators take on Islamabad United tonight: HBL PSL now moves to Sharjah for big crowds

SHARJAH: The third edition of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL-3) will finally embrace packed crowds when the T20 League will set camp in Sharjah, long regarded as cricket’s biggest oasis in the desert.

Even though Wednesday (today) is a working day, the Sharjah cricket stadium is likely to have a full house for the PSL game featuring last year’s runners-up Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United.

PSL 3 kicked off in Dubai with an impressive opening ceremony and the start was marked by a series of exciting encounters that saw Karachi Kings catapulting themselves to the top of the points table and newcomers Multan Sultans making their presence felt in the contest.But when it came to crowd appearance, the matches that have been played so far have been a big disappointment.

Empty stands at the iconic Dubai International Stadium painted a sorry picture even over weekends, another reason for Pakistan cricket administrators to intensify their campaign of hosting the entire PSL on home soil next year.

However, the PSL will get a respite as far as crowd attendance is concerned as the Sharjah leg of the contest starting from tonight is expected to feature a series of well-attended games. The Sharjah stadium has almost always attracted big crowds. One of the most famous cricket venues, the stadium is situated in the city which makes it easy for spectators to go and watch matches there. In stark contrast, the Dubai International Stadium is situated miles away from the city centre in Dubai Sports City which is not accessible by public transport.

Established in 1982, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium holds the unique honour of hosting the highest number of One-day Internationals. It was one of the biggest and busiest hubs in international cricket back in the eighties and nineties. After a long hiatus, Pakistan’s decision to make UAE its home base and also launch the PSL there has brought Sharjah back in the limelight.

This year, Sharjah will hold a total of 13 PSL matches. Though Sharjah’s track is unlikely to be very different from Dubai’s wicket, it is expected that slow bowlers will get more assistance here. Shorter boundaries than Dubai mean that we can expect high-scoring matches in the coming days. After tonight’s game between Quetta and Islamabad, the last-placed Lahore Qalandars will play back-to-back matches against United (March 2) and Peshawar Zalmi (March 3). Sharjah’s first leg will conclude with a game featuring United and Kings on March. The PSL will return to Sharjah on March 13 for another six league games before the eliminators.