Pakistan Super League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pakistan Super League

Countries	Pakistan
Administrator	Pakistan Cricket Board
Headquarters	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore-Kasur Road, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Format	Twenty20
First edition	2016
Latest edition	2024
Tournament format	Double round-robin and Playoffs
Number of teams	6
Current champion	Islamabad United (3rd title)
Most successful	Islamabad United (3 titles)
Most runs	Babar Azam (3,504)
Most wickets	Wahab Riaz (113)
TV	Pakistan PTV Sports A Sports Ten Sports International List of broadcasters

The Pakistan Super League (PSL), also known as HBL PSL because of its main sponsor, is a big professional Twenty20 cricket tournament in Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) organizes this exciting league.

The PCB started the PSL in 2015. It features six teams, each representing a city. These teams are not owned by different groups working alone. Instead, the league is one big organization, and investors own and control each team.

In the first part of the tournament, called the group stage, each team plays every other team twice. The top four teams with the most points then move on to the playoffs. The playoffs lead up to the final match, where the champion is decided.

So far, there have been nine seasons of the PSL. Islamabad United is the most successful team, having won the title three times. Lahore Qalandars made history by winning two titles in a row, in the 2023 season and the one before it.

History of the PSL

How the PSL Started

In September 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially announced that the PSL would begin. Famous former Pakistani cricket captains, Wasim Akram and Rameez Raja, became special helpers to promote the league.

After many years of planning, the league finally started on February 4, 2016. The opening ceremony was held in the United Arab Emirates. For the first two seasons, there were five teams. These teams were based on the main cities of Pakistan's provinces and its capital.

The PSL uses a special system to pick players. It's called a "draft system," where teams take turns choosing players. This is different from an "auction system" used in some other cricket leagues.

The official logo for the PSL was shown for the first time on September 20, 2015, in Lahore. Many current and retired cricketers, along with Pakistani celebrities, attended the event.

The rights to the first teams were sold for about US$93 million for ten years in December 2015. By 2017, the PSL was worth around US$300 million, and it has grown even more since then.

Adding More Teams

In 2016, there was talk about adding a sixth team to the league. This idea was first put aside. However, a few days after the 2017 PSL ended, it was announced that a sixth team would join the next season.

The PCB looked at five cities for this new team: Faisalabad, FATA, Hyderabad, Dera Murad Jamali, and Multan.

On June 1, 2017, it was decided that the sixth team would be the Multan Sultans. This team was bought by Schön Properties for US$5.2 million each year. Later, in November 2018, new owners took over the Multan Sultans team, and they decided to keep the same name.

PSL's Financial Success

In May 2016, the PCB announced that the very first PSL season made a profit of US$2.6 million. This showed how successful the league was right from the start.

In the 2022 season, which was played entirely in Pakistan, the PCB chairman said that the PSL's profit increased by 71 percent. Each team received a lot of money, about PKR 900 million, even before the season began.

The 2023 season earned over PKR 5 billion. This money came from different sources. These included broadcasting rights (money from TV channels showing the games), sponsorship deals, ticket sales, and other related income.

How the PSL Works

PSL playoffs system

The PSL uses a "double round-robin" format. This means every team plays against every other team twice. After these matches, the top four teams move on to the playoffs. The playoffs use a system similar to the Indian Premier League.

The league follows the rules set by the International Cricket Council. The PSL was also one of the first T20 leagues to use the DRS (Decision Review System). This system helps umpires make correct decisions, and later, the International Cricket Council also started using it.

In the group stage, teams get points:

• Two points for a win.
• One point if the match has no result (like if it rains).
• No points for a loss.

If two teams have the same score at the end of a match, they play a "super over" to decide the winner. In the group stage, teams are ranked based on:

1. More points.
2. If points are equal, a better "run rate" (how fast they score runs).
3. If still equal, more wins.
4. If still equal, fewer losses.
5. If still equal, the results of their head-to-head matches.

In playoff matches, if there's no result, a super over is played. If a super over isn't possible, the team that finished higher in the league standings during the regular season wins.

PSL Schedule

The PSL usually happens in February and March every year. The only time this changed was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PSL usually takes place before the Indian Premier League. However, in 2025, both the PSL and the IPL will be happening at the same time.

PSL Teams

Before the first season, about 20 different groups showed interest in buying teams for the league. On October 18, 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board started taking bids for the teams. The deadline for these bids was November 15. The winners got the rights to their team for ten years.

All five teams for the first season were sold on December 3, 2015. The total price for all teams was US$93 million. Seven different bidders presented their plans.

In April 2017, the PCB asked for bids for a sixth team. Many groups, both from Pakistan and other countries, wanted to buy this new team. On June 1, the rights to the Multan team were bought by Schön Properties for US$5.2 million a year. This was the most expensive team right in the league at that time.

However, in November 2018, the PCB ended the agreement with Schön Properties because of payment issues. The rights were then sold again to a group led by Ali Tareen for US$6.35 million.

PSL Results and Champions

The first PSL season was played entirely in the United Arab Emirates. This was due to security reasons at the time. Islamabad United won the first title, beating Quetta Gladiators in the final match.

Peshawar Zalmi became the champions in 2017, defeating Quetta Gladiators in Lahore. In 2018, Islamabad United won their second title, beating Peshawar Zalmi. Quetta Gladiators won their first title in 2019, also against Peshawar Zalmi. In 2020, Karachi Kings took home the trophy.

Multan Sultans won their first title in 2021, defeating Peshawar Zalmi in Abu Dhabi. Lahore Qalandars won their first title in 2022, beating the reigning champions Multan Sultans. Lahore Qalandars then won again in 2023, beating Multan Sultans by just one run.

Islamabad United became the first team to win three titles on March 18, 2024. They defeated Multan Sultans by two wickets in a thrilling final. This was Multan's fourth final in a row, and their third time finishing as runner-up. Misbah-ul-Haq is considered the most successful captain in the league's history.

Final Match Results

Team Performance Over Seasons

• W: Winner (Champion);
• RU: Runner-up (Lost in Final);
• PO: Eliminated in the play-off stage;
• Grp: Eliminated in the group stage.

PSL Champions List

Teams are ranked by how many titles they've won. If there's a tie, the team with more runner-up finishes is ranked higher. If still tied, they are listed in alphabetical order.

PSL Trophies

On February 19, 2020, the first version of the PSL trophy was shown. It was unveiled by squash player Jahangir Khan and the PCB chairman at the National Stadium in Karachi. This trophy was 65 centimeters tall and weighed eight kilograms. It had a crescent and star design with colorful enamel strips. This trophy was used from the 2020 PSL to the 2022 PSL, and each winning team's name was engraved on it.

A new trophy, called Supernova, was unveiled on February 9, 2023. This trophy has been used since the 2023 PSL season. It was made entirely in Pakistan by Mahfooz Jewellers, located in Lahore.

The newest trophy, named "Luminara," was revealed on March 14, 2025. It was shown in a three-minute video posted by the PSL channel.

Individual Player Awards

The PSL gives out special awards to top players each season.

• The Hanif Mohammad award and a green cap are given to the player who scores the most runs. The leading run-scorer wears this green cap throughout the tournament. The final winner keeps the cap and gets the award.
• The Fazal Mahmood award and a maroon cap are given to the player who takes the most wickets, following the same rules.
• The Imtiaz Ahmed award is given to the best wicket-keeper.

All three of these individual awards were first introduced in the second PSL season.

PSL Sponsorships

HBL Pakistan became the first main sponsor of the PSL for three years in December 2015. All the sponsorship deals for the league, including the main title sponsorship, were estimated to be worth more than $6 million.

HBL later renewed their sponsorship for another three years. In 2021, the PCB announced that HBL would continue to be the main sponsor of the PSL for four more years, until 2025.

PSL Broadcasters

The league signed a deal with a UK-based company called Sunset and Vine to produce the TV broadcast for the first three seasons. In Pakistan, the TV rights were sold to PTV Sports and Ten Sports for the same period. Digital rights (for online streaming) were sold to YouTube in Pakistan for the first season. Later, these digital rights were sold to cricketgateway.

For the period from 2019 to 2021, broadcast rights were sold to Blitz Advertising. In Pakistan, TV rights were acquired by PTV Sports and Geo Network. Cricketgateway continued to hold the digital rights.

From 2021 to 2025, broadcast rights were sold to TransGroup International. PTV Sports, A Sports, and Ten Sports had the domestic broadcast rights until 2023. For the 2024–2025 seasons, A Sports and Walee Technologies acquired these rights. The digital streaming rights for 2022 and 2023 were sold to Daraz.

List of Global Broadcasters

Other PSL Activities

Hamaray Heroes Campaign

HBL PSL Hamaray Heroes Award

The HBL PSL Hamaray Heroes campaign started in the 2020 season. This special program celebrates important Pakistanis who have done great things. For example, it has honored squash player Farhan Mehboob, animal rescuer Ayesha Chundrigar, mountaineer Ali Sadpara, and professional eSports player Arslan Ash. In the 2020 season, a total of 32 HBL PSL Hamaray Heroes Awards were given out.

Awareness Campaigns

Since 2019, the PSL has dedicated a day to raise awareness about breast cancer. On this day, the theme is usually a pink ribbon. The league also sets aside a day to raise awareness for childhood cancer, using a gold ribbon theme. These initiatives help teach people about important health issues.

See also

• List of Pakistan Super League records and statistics
• List of Pakistan Super League cricketers
• List of Pakistan Super League centuries
• List of Pakistan Super League anthems
• List of Men's franchise cricket leagues
• Pakistan Junior League