One of the most watched sports events of the world, Pakistan Super League is fast making its mark in the international T20 cricket scenario. The esteemed League will host its 5th season this year and PSL 2020 is set to be an even grander specter of cricket, passion, thrill and entertainment. Akin to last year, this year’s edition too will have 6 teams. The 2020 season will start on February 20, 2020 and continue till March 18, 2020. (Due to Coronavirus, tournament got rescheduled.) March 22, 2020. As HBL is the title sponsor of the Pakistan Super League, the event is officially entitled as HBL Pakistan Super League 2020. You can buy all Pakistan Super League T20 Match tickets online from yayvo.com. If you have decided to watch PSL T20 2020 live from Stadium then you have to book your PSL Tickets as soon as possible as it is filling fast. Price of PSL 2020 tickets are from 500 to 3000 pakistan rupees. Home delivery of PSL T20 tickets are also provided by the website. Once booked, PSL 2020 tickets can not refunded.
First season to be held completely in Pakistan
One of the most remarkable facts about Pakistan Super League 2020 is that this is the very FIRST season which will have all its matches in the country (Pakistan) only. The honorable PM of Pakistan and iconic cricketer Imran Khan had officially announced about PSL hosting the 5th season completely in Pakistan last February. Later, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani also confirmed the decision to schedule all PSL 2020 matches in the country.
PSL 2020 Tournament Format
The PSL 2020 tournament format will follow the same format as we have witnessed in all the previous seasons. The 5th season of Pakistan Super League will be played in Double Round-Robin Tournament Format. It will begin with League Stage matches where each team will play at least 2 matches with all other teams. 6 teams would play 10 games each and will receive two points for each win. No points would be given to losing teams but 1 point would be awarded to both teams if there’s a tie/no result.
Top 4 teams from League stage would qualify for Play-offs. The Play-offs round will include 1 Qualifier match which will be played between the first and second placed teams on the points table. It will be followed by Eliminators round. The first match of the round will be played between the third & fourth placed teams. The second match would be between winner of the previous match and loser of the Qualifier match. The winner of match and the winner of the Qualifier round will lock horns in the final.
The tournament is governed by the rules of ICC (International Cricket Council). If there is a tie, super over is held to decide the winner. In group stage, the teams will be ranked based on the criteria given below:
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Higher points received
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If two or more teams have got equal points, team with greater run rate will be ranked higher
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If two or more teams have got equal points, the team that has received the most wins will be ranked higher
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If two or more teams have got equal points, the team with fewest losses will be ranked higher
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If two teams still seem to be on equal plane, the result of a head-to-head meeting will decide
PSL 2020 teams
PSL 2020 will be played among 6 teams, housing both Pakistani and international players. The teams to take part in the tournament are:
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Islamabad United
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Karachi Kings
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Quetta Gladiators
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Lahore Qalandars
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Peshawar Zalmi
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Multan Sultans
PSL 2020 Schedule
The Pakistan Super League 2020 will continue for little over a month. The inaugural match of the upcoming season is scheduled for February 20, 2020. As per the PSL 2020 schedule, the opening ceremony of the event would be hosted on the same day as well. Both the inaugural ceremony and opening match of the season would be held at National Stadium, Karachi.
The League stage matches will be played from February 20, 2020 to March 15, 2020. The Play-offs round will start from March 17, 2020 with the Qualifier match. It will be succeeded by two Eliminator matches scheduled for March 18 and 20, 2020, respectively. The PSL 2020 final match is scheduled for March 22, 2020 at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Pakistan Super League 2020 matches will either start at 14:00 or 19:00. The time for the inaugural match is yet to be decided. All the Playoffs matches will start from 19:00. The timing for the final match is again yet to be decided.
PSL 2020 Stadium
As mentioned previously, the 2020 Pakistan Super League is the first PSL season ever to be played completely in Pakistan. Four esteemed stadiums have been chosen for the tournament this year. One is National Stadium, Karachi- the stadium that will host the opening ceremony and the first match of the upcoming season. The other three are Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore), Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (Rawalpindi) and Multan Cricket Stadium (Multan).
After the infamous 2009 attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan, the country has lost much of its credibility to host international matches. The decision to host the entire tournament in Pakistan is a sincere effort by PCB to bring back the lost trust quotient to the country before the international cricket world.
PSL 2020 matches
There will be 34 matches in total throughout the 5th season of Pakistan Super League this year. Of all these 30 will be League Stage matches- the first is scheduled for February 20, 2020 while the last match of the stage is set for March 15, 2020. The opening match will the current champions Quetta Gladiators facing two-times champion Islamabad United at National Stadium, Karachi. The last match of the stage is scheduled between Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings and will take place at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Every participant team, irrespective of points gained, will have to play all the allotted matches of the League Stage. The 4 highest scoring teams from the League Stage will move to the Play-Off round and the two winners of the same round will fight against one another in the final. The final match of Pakistani Super League is scheduled for March 22 and will be held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
PSL 2020 opening ceremony
Like every year, the PSL 2020 opening ceremony will be a star-studded affair. It will be hosted on February 20, at the National Stadium. If rumors are to believe, famous international singer Pitbull is to grace the occasion, along with other celebs like Aima Baig, Junoon and so on.
PSL 2020 Teams
Pakistan Super League 2020 will be played between 6 teams. Each team will play minimum 2 matches with other teams. The topmost 4 teams from group stage matches will reach the Play-offs and play the Qualifier and Eliminator rounds. The winners of Qualifier and Eliminator rounds will face each other in the PSL 2020 final. The 6 teams that will participate in Pakistan Super League 2020 are:
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Islamabad United
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Karachi Kings
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Quetta Gladiators
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Lahore Qalandars
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Peshawar Zalmi
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Multan Sultans
Among the PSL 2020 teams, the most successful is Islamabad United. They were the celebrated inaugural champions as well as the champions of the 2018 season. The other teams that have won the PSL trophy are Peshawar Zalmi (2017) and Quetta Gladiators (2019). Being the present champs, its Quetta Gladiators who will open the inaugural match of PSL 2020 with the two-times winner Islamabad United.
Here is a brief on the teams:
Islamabad United
The two-times champions, Islamabad United is owned by Leonine Global Sports. A part of Pakistan Super League since its maiden season, IU is led by Mohammad Sami.
Quetta Gladiators
The running champions of Pakistan Super League, Quetta Gladiators is owned by Omar Associates. Famous Pakistani cricketer Sarfraz Ahmed is the captain of the team.
Karachi Kings
One of the most expensive squads in Pakistan Super League, Karachi Kings is owned by ARY Media Group. The team is led by Imad Wasim.
Peshawar Zalmi
The winner of the 2017 Pakistan Super League, the team is owned by renowned Pakistani entrepreneur Javed Afridi. Peshawar Zalmi is spearheaded by West Indies all-rounder Daren Sammy.
Lahore Qalandars
Based in Lahore, the team is owned by Qatar Lubricants Company Limited. The team is led by Sohail Akhtar.
Multan Sultans
A new entrant in the PSL squad, the team is also the most expensive teams of the League. Founded in 2017, Multan Sultans is owned by Alamgir Khan Tareen and Ali Khan Tareen and is led by legendary Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi.