Season 8 of Pakistan Super League that kicked off in February unrolled quite a few exciting moments for the cricket fan.
Starting with the most touted biggest musical anthem of the year, the PSL anthem is a joint effort of the biggest names in Pakistan’s music industry. Composed by musician Abdullah Siddiqui, it features exceptional music talent including Coke Studio sensation Shae Gill, Asim Azhar, and rapper Faris Shafi. The lyrics are written by Azhar, Shafi, Ali, Raamis and Siddique. The opening ceremony of PSL 8 unveiled in Multan on February 13.
To make the event a success, PSL Season 8 main sponsor included HBL as the lead sponsor. The other official partners included Jubliee, Brighto Paints, J. and OPPO mobile. PSL sponsors sign contracts for three to four years and then the bid opens again. The Pakistan Super League has received massive support from HBL, which has taken over the sponsorship rights for another four-year cycle (2022-2025). HBL not only exceeded the starting price by buying back the rights, but also increased by 55% over the previous cycle, which speaks volumes of HBL’s confidence in the PSL brand.
This year’s season promised to be very fun and exciting when the players played their best. Some of the big brands that came forward as partners of PSL included Ariel, Inverex, Pepsi, Jubilee Life Insurance, Brighto Paints, OPPO Mobiles, Head and Shoulders, Tapal Tea, Blitz International nd TransGroup.
Up to the moment when Fashion Collection went into print, some of the exhilarating moments of PSL 2023 included
Azam Khan’s incredible 97 off 42 balls:
During the match between Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United, batter Azam Khan impressed all with his exceptional talent on the pitch by scoring a spectacular 97 runs off only 47 balls. Just short of 3 runs, Khan was declared out as the wickets were hit straight. Azam hit nine boundaries and eight sixes.
James Vince's 20-ball 50
During the gripping 11th match between Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans, Sultans may have defeated Kings; however, Kings did not go down without putting on a fight. Vince reached his half-century in only 20 balls, by hitting six fours and four maximums to complete his fifty, which is the fastest of PSL so far. When the dangerous Vince finally walked off the pitch in the 10th over he had scored 75 runs off just 34 balls.
Mohammad Rizwan's century:
One of the most titillating matches of the tournament so far was undoubtedly the showdown between the Kings and Sultans mentioned earlier. It had more than one display of exceptional play by both sides. During the match, Sultan, who had been put to bat first, managed to set a target of 197 runs for the Kings after a sensational display of batting by Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 110 runs off 64 balls. Rizwan, who was the opening batter in the game, hit 10 boundaries and four maximums and stayed planted on the pitch throughout the game.
Martin Guptill’s ‘unbeaten’ century
Gladiators opener Martin Guptill scored the first ton of the tournament against the Kings during the sixth fixture. In the thrilling match, Guptill smacked pacer Andrew Tye for 30 runs in the 19th over of the innings to reach his century. The New Zealand cricketer scored a total of 117 runs in 67 balls, with the help of 12 fours and five sixes, and was dismissed on the final ball of the innings.
Ihsanullah's magnificent 5-12 in 4 overs
During the third match of the tournament, Sultans pacer Ihsanullah led his side’s bowling from the front as he bowled a magnificent spell in the second match of his debut PSL. Ihsanullah looked unplayable completely as he bagged back-to-back wickets to help Sultans roar against Gladiators at their home ground. The right-arm pacer bagged five wickets for just 12 runs in his four overs.
Muhammad Hasnain’s 3-13 in 4 overs
Another star player in the tournament who had turned heads with his skills is 22-year-old pacer Muhammad Hasnain. During the ninth match of the tournament, in which Gladiators faced off against Peshawar Zalmi, Hasnain delivered an “insane” bowling spell. Hasnain helped Gladiators start off strongly with the ball by picking up three quick wickets within his four overs. He bagged Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore in quick succession to put Gladiators in the driving seat.
Muhammad Hasnain’s 3-13 in 4 overs
