LAHORE: Lahore is all ready to host Pakistan Super League (PSL)’s two playoffs, starting from Tuesday at Gaddafi Stadium.
The initial matches of the league were held in Dubai and Sharjah as the tournament has now moved to Lahore before final in Karachi.
The foreign players for Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings along with coaching staff started to reach the city of gardens.
Two matches on March 20 and 21 will be held in Lahore.
Zalmi’s foreign players including captain Darren Sammy, Liam Dawson, Andre Fletcher, Evin Lewis, and Chris Jordan arrived early Tuesday morning along with Karachi Kings’ Ravi Bopara, Tymal Mills, David Wiese, Lendl Simmons, Colling Ingram and Joe Denly.
The players travelled to Pakistan in different foreign airlines and arrived in Lahore at different times during the Monday night, from where they were taken to their hotel amid tight security protocol.
The hotel staff gave them a warm welcome.
Talking to media, Gladiators’ Rilee Russouw said: “I am very excited and hoping that my team will get a lot of support.”
Chris Greem from Gladiators also expressed excitement to be in Pakistan for the first time.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi players, Mahmudullah and Tamim Iqbal have taken off from Sir Lanka and will be reaching Pakistan soon. Mahmudullah is representing Gladiators while Iqbal is part of Zalmi team.
Further, Sri Lankan Thisara Perera, Australian Chris Green, Yorkshire’s Tom Kohler, West Indian Johnson Charles and South African Rossouw will be part of Gladiator team.
In the first playoff, Peshawar Zalmi will face Quetta Gladiators with the winner to play against Karachi Kings in the second eliminator for a place in the final.
The final will be played in Karachi. The metropolitan city is hosting its first cricket match after a gap of nine years. The city of lights hosted its last international match in February 2009 when Pakistan played against Sri Lanka.
RAIN EXPECTED
As Lahore is ready to host the playoffs, MeT office predicted interim light showers in the city throughout the day. Meanwhile, Accuweather stated that there are 51 percent chances of rain at 7 pm, the time when the match will start.
In case, the match is washed out, Peshawar Zalmi will meet Karachi Kings in the second eliminator on Wednesday with the winner facing Islamabad United in Karachi on March 25.
FOREIGN COMMENTATORS VISIT OLD LAHORE
The foreign commentators of PSL went to the tour of ‘breathtakingly’ beautiful old city of Lahore.
English commentator Alan Wilkins and West Indian Darren Ganga went on the tour with Pakistani former cricketer Majid Khan.
After the tour, Darren Ganga wrote on social media: “Tour of Lahore’s Old City was breathtaking, seeing Shahi Hamam and Masjid Wazir Khan alongside former Pakistani captain Majid Khan was divine. Pakistan Zindabad!!!.”
Meanwhile, West Indian legend and Quetta Gladiator Mentor Sir Viv Richards said that he is happy to back in Lahore. “I hope this outing for our team will be more successful than last year, Richards said, adding that Pakistan is completely safe and to prove that he has brought his wife with him.