Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: The trophy of the second edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) unveiled in Dubai in a ceremony on Monday. President of PSL’s Governing Council Najam Sethi alongside with captains and owners of all five franchises of the league — Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars — were present in the colourful ceremony.
The PSL second edition trophy is manufactured by Swarovski company and is named ‘Spirit Trophy’.
The ‘Spirit Trophy’ dazzles with the innovative crystal fine rocks — a product made using over 50,000 double pointed crystals. Sitting on the pinnacle is the Shooting Star, a multi-faceted crystal sculpture made with precision cut technology.
Speaking on the occasion, Sethi said that the trophy is a fine piece of art.
He said that in the tournament the best batsman trophy has been named after Pakistan’s master batsman Hanif Mohammad, whereas the best bowler will be awarded the Fazal Mehmood trophy.
He said that “The trophy for best wicket-keeper has been named after Imtiaz Ahmed.” The PSL’s governing council president stated that the final of the tournament in this season will be held in Lahore.
Karachi Kings captain Kumar Sangakkara said that his side comprises of young talent and experienced coaches. He added that his side will try to perform according to their full capabilities.
Misbah-ul-Haq, captain of defending champions Islamabad United, said that the tournament will be riveting like ever before. He added, “We are bring international cricket back to Pakistan through PSL. The tournament is providing a platform to the youngsters to showcase their talent.”
Haq said that his side is fully confident after having won the inaugural edition of the cricket league. He added that Pakistani players will benefit as they play a lot in the United Arab Emirates.
Captain of Quetta Gladiators Sarfraz Ahmed said that they will try to perform well in this year as well.
The tournament will kick off on 9th February as defending champions Islamabad United will take on Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai following the opening ceremony.
Each of the five teams will play eight games against each in the round robin stage and the top four sides will qualify for the playoffs.
The first playoff will be contested between the first and second placed sides in the round-robin stage. The third and the fourth ranked side will face each other in the second playoff game before the losing team from the first playoff will contest against the winning side of the second playoff.
The final will be played at Lahore on 7th March.
