The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is one of the world’s newest franchise-based cricket leagues. The league was founded only seven years ago, but it has quickly climbed to join the ranks of other major national cricket leagues, such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Big Bash League (BBL). Aside from the obvious fact that the PSL’s establishment was influenced by the IPL’s relatively recent establishment in 2007 and its success thus far, the league was founded to further reinvigorate international cricket in the country.
The PSL began in 2016 with only five founding member teams. However, it is now contested by six teams, all of which have won the league title at least once. So far, the league has lasted seven seasons and has swiftly grown in value, prominence, and quality. It has also become a popular betting attraction, you can place your bet on this event on Parimatch or any other bookmakers’ sites that offer various betting options. The league’s high level of competitiveness is seen in the fact that the titles are shared roughly equally among all six league members. This makes the PSL a more exciting betting option.
Despite the developments the PSL has witnessed in its few years, the league has not undergone any substantial modifications or reorganization. Unlike the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), all five founding members of the league are still competing today, even though a few have changed ownership.
Read on to learn more about the Pakistan Super League, its current state, league format, and member teams.
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League Format
The format of the Pakistan Super League is similar to that of other top T20 domestic cricket leagues such as the IPL, Big Bash League, and New Zealand Cricket’s T20 Championship. The competition is divided into two halves. The first stage is the group stage, played in a home-and-away format.
In this round of the competition, the teams are ranked based on the results from the ten matches that they will play. A win results in two points, while a loss results in zero points for the losing team. If the match concludes in a tie, each team receives one point. If the game ends in a draw, the winner is usually determined by a super over, in which both sides play an additional over of six balls to determine the winner. In extremely rare circumstances, the super-over may also end in a draw, in which case yet another super-over follows it till a winner is determined.
The position of each team on the league table is determined by the total amount of points earned in all ten matches played. If two teams end up with the same points, the one with the higher run rate is ranked higher. However, If the two teams have the same run rate, the team with the most victories is favored, and if they also have an equal number of wins, the club with the fewest losses is rated higher in the league standings. If two teams are still tied after considering the first four criteria, their head-to-head meeting will determine their ranking. That is, the team that has the best result against the other is ranked higher.
Following this group round, the top four teams advance to the playoffs, while the bottom two are automatically eliminated from the tournament. Each of the four teams is matched to play an elimination match, with the winner of each match advancing to the final, where the title is decided. Moreover, if any of the playoff matches conclude in a tie, a super-over is again employed to determine the winner. If the super over also finishes in a tie, the teams’ positions in the league table are taken into account, and the team with the highest position is declared the winner of the match.
PSL Teams
Currently, the Pakistan Super League comprises six teams, all of which are privately owned. The teams include:
Islamabad United
Source: thecricketer.com
Islamabad United is the most successful team in the competition, with two league titles. The franchise, owned by Leonine Global Investments’ sports entity, was one of the competition’s five pioneer teams.
Multan Sultans
Source: thecricketer.com
Multan Sultans is the only team that did not begin the competition as one of the initial five. They joined the league in 2018 and have also won the title once.
Karachi Kings
Source: thecricketer.com
This is the most expensive franchise in the league, currently owned by the ARY Media Group, and it has also won the league once. Also, the team has their fair share of success in the competition because, apart from the current season, they have not been eliminated in the group stage.
Quetta Gladiators
Source: thecricketer.com
Apart from their league title in 2019, the Quetta Gladiators have also been runner-ups on two occasions. However, they have yet to make it past the competition’s group stage in the past three seasons.
Lahore Qalandars
Source: thecricketer.com
Currently owned by Rana Brothers, Lahore Qalanders is the third most expensive franchise in the league. However, the current league champions have recorded one of the worst runs in the competition, getting eliminated in the group stage five times in the seven seasons played. Nevertheless, in the remaining two seasons in which they were not eliminated, they made it to the two finals, one of which they won to lift their only league title.
Peshawar Zalmi
Source: thecricketer.com
Based on their performances over the last seven seasons, it is safe to conclude that Peshawar Zalmi is the best-performing yet most unlucky team in the league. The team has never been eliminated in the competition’s group stage and has reached four finals. However, since winning the title in 2017, they have suffered a string of unlucky defeats in subsequent finals.
Conclusion
If anything, the Pakistan Super League has been a competitive competition, making it exciting for cricket fans in the country and beyond. The league has rapidly developed in only seven years to become one of the top domestic cricket leagues in the world. Don’t forget to visit Parimatch today to bet on any PSL match of your choice.
