Pakistani cricket is one of the biggest sporting events in Pakistan. Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional cricket league held annually in Pakistan, with teams representing cities in the country.

It is also one of the most popular sports in the whole country. PSL is played with different teams and matches in different tournaments and leagues. It is the biggest and most popular sports event in Pakistan.

Read this article to know about the top 5 emerging talents who performed exceptionally well in PSL.

Pakistan’s Cricket Sensation

Pakistani cricket was first played during the British colonial era in the early 19th century. Nowadays, Pakistani cricket has become the largest and most popular sport in Pakistan. Pakistani cricket is popular in the whole country and even in many other countries.

The biggest tournament of Pakistani cricket is the Pakistan Super League. This is a multi-city event that the government organizes every year for cricket fans. It is an annual professional Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan.

Pakistan Super League is the main tournament of Pakistani cricket. During this tournament, many famous players from Pakistan and other cricketing nations play a match against each other. Each match of this tournament has a total of 50 overs.

It is a popular cricket tournament and many international and local fans enjoy watching these matches.

Read More: PCB’s Four-Nation Cricket Tournament May Include West Indies, Australia, England, and Pakistan

What is PSL?

Pakistan Super League (PSL) is the professional domestic cricket league in Pakistan. It takes place every year with the main aim to determine the best players in the country.

It is the highest level of domestic cricket in Pakistan, consisting of 12 teams.

In 2017 the 12 teams were divided into two groups and played each other twice during the tournament, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals played the final round.

Pak Super League (PSL) was launched in 2016, after a long hiatus of more than 30 years. This event is organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

All You Need to Know About Pakistan Super League 

The PSL is one of the most lucrative sporting events in Pakistan. It has produced some of the biggest stars in Pakistani and international cricket, including some of the best cricketers of the modern era.

Pakistani players have won a record number of international and domestic awards and medals. There are two categories of PSL teams, ‘city teams’ and ‘regional teams’. A “sponsor” and a “co-owner” own all the franchises of PSL.

In the first season of the tournament in 2018, 6 teams played across nine cities, with each team playing the other seven teams once.

Islamabad United is the most successful franchise. It played in the 2018 tournament, under the ownership of government of Pakistan. The most successful individual players in the tournament were Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez.

The 2019 season of the tournament ran from 3 March to 8 May.

Previous Editions of PSL 

Pakistan Cricket Board has been organizing domestic cricket competitions under the banner of the Pakistan Super League for the last 2 years. It was earlier known as Pepsi Lagaan and later it was changed to PSL. It was first held in November 2015 with Multan Sultans taking the lead against Islamabad United. Peshawar Zalmi won the inaugural edition of PSL after defeating Lahore Qalandars in the final.

PSL season 3 saw the addition of eight franchises that the owners announced during the second half of the tournament.

On the 8th day of the 3rd tournament Peshawar Zalmi’s captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, got his maiden century in a T20 cricket match.

Since its inception, the league has seen a lot of controversies. Some of the most recent are:

1. The team owners were violating the BCCI’s rules.
2. In PSL season 4, Lahore Qalandars finished their campaign with 4 wins and 5 losses. This was their worst season since they joined the league.
3. In the 2018-19 season, the league had a total of 15 teams with 10 having full sponsorship from local companies.

The PSL’s mission to revive cricket in the country. After the success of the league, the organizers want to expand it to other sports such as football and tennis.

PSL Bracket System

In the PSL, there is no single-elimination stage. Instead, the teams play a round-robin format throughout the season. After the first round, the top four teams advance to the playoffs.

In the playoffs, the top two teams play a best-of-five series. The winner advances to the final, while the loser moves to the relegation stage.

A combination of three factors decides the fate of teams that make it to the playoffs:

1. Performance: Teams must finish with at least seven wins and three losses to qualify for the playoffs.
2. Points: The top team in the points table gets a bonus of one point per win. The second-place team will earn two points for each win, and the third-place team will get three points.
3. Ties: Any two or more teams with identical records recieve the same number of points. The first-place team with more wins over the season earns a higher number of points.

The points table also determines the ranking order of the teams.

There is a tiebreaker rule for any case of tied rankings.

The top-ranked team plays the fourth-ranked team in the semifinals, while the second-ranked team plays the third-ranked team.

The winners of the semifinals enter the final round to decide the overall winner of the series.

Related: Shoaib Malik Becomes the First Cricketer to Complete 11,000 T20 Runs in Asia

Types of Player Categories

Players are categorized by the way in which they can earn a living. Professional players are paid to participate in a sport. Non-professional players, who compete for fun, are amateur athletes. The level of a player is determined by the sport. Some sports are more developed than others.

There are three types of players:

1. Full-time players. Full-time players are paid by their teams. They may have other jobs, but they dedicate most of their time to their sport.
2. Part-time players. Part-time players are paid by their teams, but they dedicate part of their time to their sport.
3. Non-professional players. Non-professional players are paid by their clubs, but they may also have other jobs. They may also devote some of their time to their sport.

Players are also classified by gender. There are two types of gender classification:

1. Male players. Male players are typically male.
2. Female players. Female players are typically female.

There are two types of players:

1. National players. National players are generally from a specific country.
2. International players. International players are players that have the opportunity to play for their countries.

Emerging Talents of PSL 

Among the top 5 emerging talents, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Irfan and Yasir Shah all have an average age of 26. Shahid Afridi and Yasir Shah, two of the five have played international cricket and are the captains of their respective franchises, while Umar Akmal and Mohammad Irfan have yet to play any international matches.

Undeniably, in the PSL, emerging talents tend to play with the utmost professionalism. They have been making their presence felt with their skillful performances in the tournament. Some of the best players in PSL are:

Shahid Afridi

He is one of the best bowlers Pakistan has ever seen, who is the captain of the national cricket team. He also has a great batting technique.

Hafeez

He is a legendary Pakistani fast bowler. Hafeez’s bowling style is so accurate that it earned its name as a lethal weapon.

Junaid Khan

Junaid is a young, talented fast bowler from Pakistan, who made his debut at the international level in 2016.

Yasir Shah

Yasir is a spin bowling all-rounder who earned the title of ICC Young Cricketer of the Year for 2017. Moreover, he is one of the best young cricketers in the world.

Mohammad Nawaz

Mohammad is a young wicketkeeper-batsman from Pakistan. In 2017, he received the title of the Emerging Talent of the Year.

Similarly, the Top five emerging talents from Pakistan who performed exceptionally well in Pakistan Super League 2017 are:

• Mubashar Khan (Karachi Kings)
• Mohammad Irfan (Islamabad United)
• Mohammed Irfan (Islamabad United)
• Bilal Asif (Sialkot Stallions)
• Junaid Khan (Lahore Qalandars)

The fact that young Pakistani players are taking to international cricket with the utmost ease is, evidently, a testimony to the fact that the country has taken a leap in its quest for sporting glory.