All that you need to know about PSL 2017 - Teams, Squads and Fixtures

The second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) promises to be a bigger and better affair than the previous edition. The inaugural edition has set a very high benchmark considering the fan base that it developed. Some great brand of cricket was seen across the 24 matches played in the tournament. Islamabad United beat the Quetta Gladiators to lift the tournament in the debut season. Now comes the PSL 2017 and the Misbah-ul-Haq-led Islamabad United are all geared up for the title defense.

This year the tournament has picked up pace and the build up to the edition has been immense. The fact that the tournament finals will bring back cricket to the homeland of Pakistan makes it all the way more special. The Pakistan Cricket Board and the PSL organisers have confirmed that the tournament final will be played at Lahore on March 7. The tournament will kick off on February 9 with defending champions Islamabad taking on the Peshawar Zalmi.

Here is the complete detail of the tournament that you need to know – from the teams to the squads, and the fixtures:

Teams

Islamabad United

The defending champions of the PSL will be led by the national team Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. He will be under considerable amount of pressure going in the tournament. The team boasts of overseas giants like Shane Watson and Dwayne Smith. Smith was the Man of the Match in the finals of the first edition of the tournament. They also have the services of veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin along with the young English batsman Ben Duckett.

Hard-hitting opening batsman Sam Billings features in the team too. The bowling department has a few prominent names. Mohammad Irfan will be accompanied by the experienced campaigner Mohammad Sami. Veteran spinner Saeed Ajmal will have his case to serve in a bid to return to the national side. On the paper, the squad looks well settled.

Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq, Asif Ali, Sam Billings, Steven Finn, Hussain Talat, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Sami, Saeed Ajmal, Sharjeel Khan, Shane Watson, Amad Butt, Samuel Badree, Ben Duckett, Brad Haddin, Imran Khalid, Mohammad Irfan, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Dwayne Smith, Zohaib Khan.

Also read- 10 players to watch out for in PSL 2017

Lahore Qalandars

Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has been appointed as the captain of the Lahore Qalandars. The Qalandars had bagged the wooden spoon in the inaugural edition of the tournament. No wonder why they decided to beef up the entire squad with some heavyweights. McCullum, who recently led Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League, has the company of fellow kiwi players Grant Elliott and James Franklin.

One of the most exciting prospects of English cricket, Jason Roy, has been roped in by the Qalandars. The kind of form he is in, expect some good starts for the Lahore franchise. The bowling unit boasts of experience of Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Shah and Sunil Narine. They have definitely got their homework right. It will be worth seeing how they fare up in the tournament.

Squad: Brendon McCullum (c), Azhar Ali, Cameron Delport, Fakhar Zaman, Ghulam Mudassar, Mohammad Irfan, Sunil Narine, Saif Badar, Umar Akmal, Yasir Shah, Aamer Yamin, Bilawal Bhatti, Grant Elliott, James Franklin, Chris Green, Mohammad Rizwan, Jason Roy, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir, Zafar Gohar.

Peshawar Zalmi

One of the most celebrated teams of the league, Peshawar Zalmi will have a new leader in the tournament. Shahid Afridi will not be leading the side in this edition. West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy will take the captaincy role after having a very successful stint as the captain of Rajshahi Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League recently.

A last moment pulling out of Andre Fletcher has seen the Zalmi rope in the services of Middlesex opener Dawid Malan. They also have England skipper Eoin Morgan in their side, who had a brilliant BBL for the Sydney Thunder. To talk about the batting prowess, they boast of players like Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tamim Iqbal, Marlon Samuels and Shakib Al Hasan. Chris Jordan will be their key death overs bowler along with Pakistan internationals Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz.

Squad: Darren Sammy (C), Dawid Malan, Hasan Ali, Imran Khan, Junaid Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Samit Patel, Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood, Wahab Riaz, T Dilshan, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Kamran Akmla, Mohammad Asghar, Eoin Morgan, Marlon Samuels, Shakib Al Hasal, Tamim Iqbal.

Karachi Kings

The Karachi Kings will have former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara taking up the leadership hat. Sanga will be accompanied by his fellow countryman and former Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene. Clearly, the Kings are not short on experience. They have English all-rounder Ravi Bopara on their roster, the Player of the Tournament of the inaugural edition.

They have the services of veteran T20 players like Ryan McLaren and Kieron Pollard. Both Pollard and McLaren have great camaraderie since they had played for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. They can surely look to hunt in pairs. Pace trio of Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir and Sohail Khan will have the bulk of bowling duties to do.

Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (c), Babar Azam, Chris Gayle, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Ryan McLaren, Kieron Pollard, Saifullah Bangash, Shoaib Malik, Usama Mir, Abrar Ahmed, Ravi Bopara, Hasan Mohsin, Mahela Jayawardene, Khurran Manzoor, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Shahzaib Hasan, Sohail Khan.

Quetta Gladiators

Pakistan T20I skipper Sarfraz Ahmed will be leading the Quetta Gladiators. The Gladiators have made sure that they have roped in some T20 specialists this season. The 24-year-old English pacer Tymal Mills, who is renowned to bowl at speeds close to 150 kmph is on the roster for the Gladiators. Kiwi offie Nathan McCullum is included the squad too for this edition of the PSL.

Hard hitting batsmen Rilee Rossouw, Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen make the batting look like a very strong unit for the Gladiators. The bowling remains to be a concern for them though. They have the experience of Saad Nasim and Umar Gul in the line up but will need some all-round show from Mahmudullah and Thisara Perera in the bowling department.

Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Anwar Ali, Bismillah Khan, Nathan McCullum, Tymal Mills, Mohammad Nawaz, Thisara Perera, Rilee Rossouw, Umar Amin, Luke Wright, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Hasan Khan, Mahmudullah, Mir Hamza, Noor Wali, Kevin Pietersen, Saad Nasim, Umar Gul, Zulfiqar Babar.

Fixtures for PSL 2017 –

Match 1, Feb 9 – Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi at Dubai

Match 2, Feb 10 – Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators at Dubai

Match 3, Feb 10 – Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi at Dubai

Match 4, Feb 11 – Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars at Dubai

Match 5, Feb 11 – Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators at Dubai

Match 6, Feb 12 0 Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi at Dubai

Match 7, Feb 15 – Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators at Dubai

Match 8, Feb 16 – Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars at Sharjah

Match 9, Feb 17 – Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators at Sharjah

Match 10, Feb 17 – Islamabad United v Karachi Kings at Sharjah

Match 11, Feb 18 – Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators at Sharjah

Match 12, Feb 18 – Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi at Sharjah

Match 13, Feb 19 – Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi at Sharjah

Match 14, Feb 20 – Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars at Sharjah

Match 15, Feb 23 – Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators at Dubai

Match 16, Feb 24 – Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi at Dubai

Match 17, Feb 24 – Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators at Dubai

Match 18, Feb 25 – Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars at Dubai

Match 19, Feb 25 – Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators at Dubai

Match 20, Feb 26 – Islamabad United v Karachi Kings at Dubai

Playoff 1 TBC v TBC (1st v 2nd), Feb 28 at Sharjah

Playoff 2 TBC v TBC (3rd v 4th), March 1 at Sharjah

Playoff 2 Winner v Playoff 1 loser (TBC v TBC), March 3 at Dubai

Final, March 5 – TBC v TBC at Lahore

Where to watch the PSL:

Indian users can watch the PSL live on YouTube or Cricketgateway