ISLAMABAD – The much-awaited schedule for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 has been announced, according to which the first fixture will be held on February 20 at Karachi’s National Stadium.
The Pakistan Cricket Board, in a statement on Friday, said that Karachi Kings will begin from where they finished their successful PSL 2020 campaign, by taking on 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators in the opening match at the National Stadium on Feb 20.
The tournament will last a little more than a month and conclude on March 22, with its final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, only Karachi and Lahore will host the matches, while Rawalpindi and Multan — which had hosted matches in PSL 2020 — will miss out this time.
“We had to make the tough decision to limit matches to Karachi and Lahore, and this decision has been taken in the larger interest of the event, participants, and the country,” said PCB Director (Commercial) Babar Hamid.
“We want to limit the unnecessary exposure of the players as much as practically possible so that the players can operate in a safe and healthy environment,” he added.
“The crowds in Multan and Rawalpindi were awesome last year and we owe a big thanks to them for their contribution in making the HBL PSL 2020 a resounding success. I am sure when life returns to normal, the two cities will get their share of matches as the PCB remains committed and determined to stage matches of the HBL PSL at as many venues as possible,” Hamid said.
Tournament divided into two legs
Itinerary-wise, the tournament has been divided into two legs — the first in Karachi that will start on February 20 and end on March 7, and the second in Lahore that will begin on March 10 and conclude with the final on March 22.
In all, 34 matches will be played during PSL 2021.
Whether or not fans will be allowed inside the stadium will be decided at a later date and would depend on the COVID-19 situation in the country.
“COVID-19 is an evolving situation, a decision will be made closer to time though the event organisers are continuously monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with the concerned government officials,” the PCB press release said.
Here’s the complete schedule:
Sat, 20 Feb – Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators (N); NSK, Karachi
Sun, 21 Feb – Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi (D); Islamabad United v Multan Sultans (N); both matches at NSK, Karachi
Mon, 22 Feb – Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators (N); NSK, Karachi
Tue, 23 Feb – Peshawar Zalmi v Multan Sultans (N); NSK, Karachi
Wed, 24 Feb – Karachi Kings v Islamabad United (N); NSK, Karachi
Fri, 26 Feb – Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans (D); Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators (N); both matches at NSK, Karachi
Sat, 27 Feb – Karachi Kings v Multan Sultans (D); Peshawar Zalmi v Islamabad United (N); both matches at NSK, Karachi
Sun, Feb 28 – Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars (N); NSK, Karachi
Mon, 1 Mar – Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators (N); NSK, Karachi
Wed, 3 Mar – Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi (D); Quetta Gladiators v Multan Sultans (N); both matches at NSK, Karachi
Thu, 4 Mar – Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United (N); NSK, Karachi
Fri, 5 Mar – Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings (N); NSK, Karachi
Sat, 6 Mar – Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators (D); Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars (N); NSK, Karachi
Sun, 7 Mar – Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators (D); Islamabad United v Karachi Kings (N); NSK, Karachi
Wed, 10 Mar – Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings (N); GSL, Lahore
Thu, 11 Mar – Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars (N); GSL, Lahore
Fri, 12 Mar – Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi (D); Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars (N); both matches at GSL, Lahore
Sat 13 Mar – Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings (D); Multan Sultans v Islamabad United (N); both matches at GSL, Lahore
Sun, 14 Mar – Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi (D); Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings (N); both matches at GSL, Lahore
Mon, 15 Mar – Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi (N); GSL, Lahore
Tue, 16 Mar – Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars (N); GSL, Lahore
Thu, 18 Mar – Qualifier (1 v 2) (N); GSL, Lahore
Fri, 19 Mar – Eliminator 1 (3 v 4) (N); GSL, Lahore
Sat, Mar 20 – Eliminator 2 (loser Qualifier v winner Eliminator 1) (N); GSL, Lahore
Mon, 22 Mar – Final (N), GSL, Lahore
Event timings: Day matches to start at 2pm; Night matches to start at 7pm; Friday’s double-headers to start at 3pm and 8pm, respectively
