Peshawar Zalmi the commercially most successful franchise of PSL 2017

Following in the footsteps of the Indian Premier league, Pakistan launched their own franchise-based league last year, naming it as the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The tournament was incepted in 2016 but with security concerns in Pakistan, the event was hosted in the UAE. Both seasons of the PSL has seen 5 teams participating.

The 2017 season was won by Peshawar Zalmi franchise. Darren Sammy was seen holding the trophy aloft at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore following heavy security measures taken by the PCB. It was the same place where the Sri Lankan Team was attacked by a terrorist group in 2009. Following a second successful season, PCB has promised to make the third season bigger and better.

Nielson Entertainment, an American sports company, has declared the Zalmi franchise as the most popular brand in the PSL.

“I am very pleased to announce that Peshawar Zalmi in terms of media exposure value, generating for both franchise and their sponsors,” said Claude Ringuet, Managing Director Asia Pacific Nielsen.

The Zalmi’s commercial success this season was attributed to the effective use of social media and the development of an app of the franchise. Zalmi had a great outing in the PSL 2017 both on and off the field.

Like Mumbai Indians, Zalmi’s too did not reach the finals straight away as they were defeated by Quetta Gladiators in the 1st Qualifying game. They played against Karachi Kings in the 3rd Qualifying game to get a spot in the finals. Zalmi and Gladiators ended up at the first and second spot in the points table respectively. Both teams had identical points after 8 league games with Zalmi being ahead in the Net Run Rate.

It was only fair for both teams to play against each other in the finals as they were the best teams’ throughout the course of the tournament. In the final, though, Zalmi had a tight lid over Gladiators winning the game by a huge margin of 58 runs.