Fawad Rana (left), Managing Director of Qalco and Chairman of Lahore Qalandars and team captain Brendon McCullum pose during the opening ceremony of the Pakistan Super League in Dubai.

Pakistan Super League new entrants Multan Sultans beat defending champions Peshawar Zalmi by seven-wickets in the opening match of the third edition of the T20 league in Dubai last night. 

The Sultans wobbled at the start of their innings when they lost opener Ahmed Shehzad for a duck in pursuit of the 152-run target set by Peshawar Zalmi. 
But Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara (57, 51b, 3x4, 2x6) stabilised the ship with Sohaib Maqsood, who made a quick 21, After Maqsood was dismissed Sangakkara and Sultans captain Shoaib Mallik ensured the team remained on course for victory. Malik made an unbeaten 42, while West Indies’ all-rounder also made 21 not out.
Earlier, Mohamed Hafeez’s 59 and Darren Sammy’s late assault helped Zalmi to a challenging total after put in to bat. Hafeez’s runs came off 52 balls while Sammy made 29 in just 11 deliveries. The new entrants Multan Sultans had won the toss and elected to bowl against Zalmi.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi said he is determined to bring all the matches of PSL to Pakistan in the next few years. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the third edition, Sethi said PSL is growing and it will grow further in the years to come.
“We are having three matches in Pakistan this year. InshaAllah, very soon we will have the entire tournament being held in Pakistan with cities like Multan, Peshawar and Pindi hosting games along with Lahore and Karachi,” said Sethi.
He also emphasised on protecting the brand of PSL which has now become a source of providing and nourishing talent for Pakistan cricket. “This is not my PSL, this is not any individual’s PSL,” he said. “We must not let PSL become a victim of politics. This is Pakistan’s brand, PSL belongs to every Pakistani and every Pakistani should stay united to protect this league,” Sethi added.
Sethi also addressed the crowd, saying: “A sixth member of the PSL family has joined us this year. Last year, 24 matches happened, this year there will be 34. The PSL is a national asset and we need to safeguard it.
Earlier, PSL kicked off with a glitzy opening ceremony. Following a countdown to the big launch, the event officially began with Sachal Orchestra playing the national anthem of Pakistan.
Moments later, singer and actor Ali Zafar took the centre stage and entertained the crowd with a special PSL rendition of his famous track, Rockstar. 
Hareem Fatima and Bilal Ashraf spoke briefly but soon made way for master presenter Ramiz Raja, who introduced the league’s expansion franchise: the Multan Sultans. 
The Sultans were followed by Islamabad United and the Karachi Kings. The Lahore Qalandars and reigning champions Peshawar Zalmi didn’t take long in joining their rivals in the middle.
The tradition in sports is for the champions to be introduced last but the organisers, for some reason, reserved that honour for the two-time finalists: the Quetta Gladiators.
The first performer of the night was the legendary Sufi singer Abida Parween.  Once her set was over it was pop star Shehzad Roy’s turn to entertain the audience.
US pop star Jason Derulo drew loud cheers from the crowd. The American crooner started off with a lesser known number before lip-syncing to his famous track Swalla, which has over a billion views on YouTube. 
Fireworks around the stadium marked the end of the PSL 2018 opening ceremony, which meant the stage was set for the teams and cricketers to take over. 
Brief scores
Peshawar Zalmi 151 for 6 in 20 overs (D Smith 24, M Hafeez 59, D Sammy 29; M Irfan 2-19) lost to Multan Sultans 152 for 3 in 19.1 overs (K Sangakkara 57, S Maqsood 21, S Malik 42 n.o., K Pollard 21 n.o) by 7 wickets







Related Story