Opening Ceremony HBL PSL 7 Start

The seventh edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League will get off on Thursday at the magnificent National Stadium in Karachi, with defending champions Multan Sultans squaring off against 2020 champions Karachi Kings following a curtain-raiser opening ceremony.

Babar Azam will head the Karachi Kings, who set the record for most T20I victories as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021. Multan Sultans will be led by Mohammad Rizwan, the first batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year.

Babar Azam: “I am very excited to be leading Karachi Kings this season. This is the first instance that I will be captaining a side in the HBL PSL and I am looking forward to it.

“The first match of the tournament always has a lot of eyeballs and Multan Sultans can prove to be a tough opposition. I am sure the fans will get to see a thrilling contest.

“Peter Moores is a seasoned coach and I have had fruitful discussions with him. Karachi Kings will display good, competitive cricket this season.”

Mohammad Rizwan: “We have all the potential to defend our HBL PSL title and we will be taking the field tomorrow with that mind set. This season will present us new challenges and we will have to plan accordingly.

“Babar Azam is a wonderful batter and captain, and his leadership will certainly have a good impact on Karachi Kings. I am hopeful that the HBL PSL 7 will kick off with a great contest between the two sides.”

The HBL PSL has established itself as one of the best T20 competitions in the globe, attracting some of the best cricketers in the world. The competition of this league, as well as the high level of action, has provided chances for up-and-coming Pakistan cricketers to study, improve their talents, and master the intricacies of the game.

The first 15 games will be held at National Stadium till 7 February, after which the action will shift to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which will host the final 19 games from 10 to 27 February.

Since the league’s start in 2016, five of the six teams have been declared champions, with Islamabad United, the initial winners, being the only team to do so.

Fans in Pakistan will be able to watch all the action in HD on A Sports, PTV Sports, Tensports, Daraz, Tapmad and Cricwick. HBL PSL 7 will be telecasted around the world on Fox Sports (Australia), Etisalat (Middle-East and North Africa), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky NZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sony (South Asia outside Pakistan), Super Sports (Sub-Saharan Africa), Willow TV (North America) and ICC TV & tapmad TV (Australia, Mainland Europe, South East Asia & RoW).

Daraz App will live-stream the action in Pakistan, while OTT platforms ICC TV and Tapmad will provide action in Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bouvet Island, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, East Timor, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guyana, Heard Island, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgystan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, North Korea, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam and Venezuela.