(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) When the clock strikes seven on Thursday evening, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium will reverberate to the sounds of Abida Parveen - the Queen of Sufi music. The 63-year-old will bring the curtain up on the third edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with her soulful and melodious songs during the opening ceremony.
Joining the Pakistani legend on stage will be heartthrobs Ali Zafar and Shahzad Roy. The duo will maintain the tempo with some lively and foot-tapping songs, while American pop star Jason Derulo will keep the crowd enthralled with his hip-hop music.
A spectacular fireworks display will be on show with special performances from Shehzad Roy and Sachal Orchestra.
Once all that is done and dusted, there will be fireworks on the field when fours and sixes will rain from the blades of batsmen and bowlers will send wickets tumbling. While some matches will end up in nail-biting finishes, others will be cake-walks, but all in all there will be enough and more to set the adrenaline pumping for the die-hards.
Defending champions Peshawar Zalmi will cross bats, so to speak, with debutants Multan Sultans as six teams, compared to five in the previous two editions, will be vying for the glittering HBL crystal trophy in the final, which will be played in Karachi on March 25.
Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy sounded confident at the unveiling of the trophy on Tuesday when he said 'we will try and defend our title when we get to Karachi'.
Known for his light-hearted banter, the West Indian added: "They are all coming for my title. I hope my team is still in the running when we get to Karachi."
With the likes of last year's player of the tournament Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz, the highest wicket-taker of the PSL so far, in his armoury, Sammy has every reason to be cock-a-hoop.
But their first outing may not be as easy as it seems on paper, with the experienced Shoaib Malik leading Multan Sultans.
The debutants, bought by the Schon Group for $5.2 million (Dh19 million) - twice the price tag of the previous most expensive team in the franchise, the Karachi Kings - are coached by legendary Pakistani paceman Wasim Akram.
They also possess the highest run-scorer of the PSL in Ahmed Shahzad. And with Kumar Sangakkara and Kieron Pollard bolstering the batting and Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Imran Tahir tightening the noose with their bowling, it could make for a feisty contest.
Peshawar Zalmi's next match will be against the cool-as-cucumber Misbah
Haq's Islamabad United on Saturday. The winners of the inaugural edition in 2016 have a mix of fresh and experienced players, while Multan Sultans clash with Lahore Qalandars on Friday. Captain Brendon McCullum would like to bury the ghosts of the first two editions where his team - Lahore Qalandars - finished last. The former New Zealand skipper refused to guarantee success this time too but said "we will try our best".
Quetta Gladiators' captain Sarfraz Ahmed will hope to break the jinx of finishing runners-up in both editions. "I hope to win this series in our home city of Karachi," he said. But of all the captains, the focus will be on the youngest to lead the team during the series. Imad Wasim has been handed the reins by Shahid Afridi to take Karachi Kings forward after they finished fourth and third respectively in the previous editions.
Apart from Afridi, the Kings also have Mohammad Amir and Ravi Bopara who had bagged the player of the series award in the inaugural tournament. So brace yourselves for some high-octane and jaw-dropping matches over the coming days.
The month-long tournament will be played at two venues in the UAE - Dubai International Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium - before moving to Pakistan for the two eliminators in Lahore followed by the final in Karachi.
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