The seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) starts Thursday (January 27) with defending champions Multan Sultans taking on 2020 champions Karachi Kings. The PSL 7 season-opening clash will feature two top T20 batters in world cricket, and also a veritable list of cricketing talents. Here's your guide to the first match of PSL 2022. (More Cricket News)
Babar Azam, who made the record for most T20I wins as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021, will lead Karachi Kings, while Mohammad Rizwan, the first-ever batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, will lead Multan Sultans.
Interestingly, Azam and Rizwan opened the innings together for the Pakistan national team, and both won ICC awards for 2021. Pakistan captain Azam picked the ODI honours while Rizwan got the T20I award. But on Thursday, they will go head to head, leading two different sides.
Head-to-head
This will be their tenth meeting. Karachi Kings lead the head-to-head record 5-2. Their first-ever meeting in the 2018 season was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled. There was also a no result due to rain in 2020.
In the last five meetings, both sides have won two matches each. In the last match, Multan Sultans beat Karachi Kings by 12 runs.
Match and telecast details
Match: Match 1 of Pakistan Super League 2022 between Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans
Date: January 27 (Thursday), 2022
Time: 7:30 PM IST/ 7:00 PM local
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
TV Channels: Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming: SonyLIV
In Pakistan: A Sports, PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Daraz, Tapmad and Cricwick.
Elsewhere...
Willow TV (North America), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand) and SuperSport (Africa).
Opening Ceremony
Legendary cricketer and Pakitan Prime Minister Imran Khan will open the tournament and there will be an opening ceremony featuring Atif Aslam and Aima Baig.
But even before the opening of the league, or the 'games', controversy has struck PSL with fans slamming Pakistan Cricket Board for copying London Olympics 2012 inaugural video in their promo.
Geo News even carried a feature.
"The PSL video begins with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja entering the Prime Minister's Office and demanding that Prime Minister Imran Khan accompany him, similar to how Hollywood actor Daniel Craig did in the London Olympics video by asking Queen Elizabeth to inaugurate the Olympics...
"The PCB appeared to have included scenes and sequences similar to the London Olympics video which was filmed 10 years ago," it said.
Watch both the videos here:
Meanwhile, here's how bowling great Shoaib Akhtar roasted the PCB for their PSL 6 anthem:
Squads
Karachi Kings: Babar Azam (c), Amir Yamin, Chris Jordan, Faisal Akram, Imad Wasim, Joe Clarke, Jordan Thompson, Lewis Gregory, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Nabi, Muhammad Imran, Qasim Akram/Mohammad Taha, Rohail Nazir, Romario Shepherd, Sahibzada Farhan, Sharjeel Khan, Talha Ahsan, Tom Abell/Ian Cockbain and Umaid Asif.
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Amir Azmat, Anwar Ali, Asif Afridi, Blessing Muzarabani, David Willey, Ihsanullah, Imran Khan Snr, Imran Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Odean Smith/Johnson Charles, Rilee Rossouw, Rizwan Hussain, Rovman Powell/Dominic Drakes, Rumman Raees, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood and Tim David.
