PSL 2022: squads, fixtures, health protocols and how to watch matches in UAE

The seventh season of the Pakistan Super League commences on Thursday, with a mixture of optimism and fear of the unknown. First, the good news. This edition of the PSL will see the ICC cricketer of the year, the T20 and the ODI batsmen of 2021 all competing together. Last year was an unprecedented success for Pakistan in white-ball cricket and that was reflected in the International Cricket Council's annual awards , where left-arm pacer Shahen Afridi was selected as the best men's player of the year, while captain Babar Azam was picked as the ODI cricketer and wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan the T20 player of the year. All three will be in action during PSL 2022, which commences on January 27 in Karachi and ends on February 27 in Lahore. Now for the worrisome bit. The continuing pandemic means there is a high probability of positive cases and even an outbreak. The Pakistan Cricket Board had formed a comprehensive protocol to ensure the PSL is held and completed within the 30 days as any postponement will almost certainly lead to the league's cancellation because the international calendar does not have any other slots to ensure player availability. Still, expectations are high with the Pakistan board determined to complete the tournament, stating that teams need only 13 players who are Covid negative to compete. Last year, the PSL was postponed after a coronavirus outbreak and was concluded in Abu Dhabi, with Multan Sultans defeating Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs to lift the title. PSL 2022 begins at the National Stadium in Karachi on Thursday, January 27, with the first 15 matches to be held at the venue. The tournament then moves to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore which will hold the remainder of the matches, including the final on February 27. It's quite comprehensive. There will be dedicated bio-bubbles with players, support staff, officials, broadcast crew, and all essential members such as hotel staff are separated in a way that any positive case does not immediately spread throughout the league — as had happened in previous tournaments. Teams have 20 players on their roster with an additional pool of players to draw from, in case their first picks are sidelined. Players will be tested regularly during the tournament. In the event of an outbreak, the tournament will be halted for seven days, the bio-bubbles will be reset and the remaining fixtures completed via double headers. There are a few changes on the field. Pakistan captain Babar has been named Karachi Kings' captain, taking over from Imad Wasim who guided them to the 2020 title. Also, veteran star Shahid Afridi will represent Quetta Gladiators in what will be his farewell PSL appearance after representing Multan Sultan last year. There's more. Fielding sides will be punished for maintaining slow over rates. If they fail to bowl the first ball of the final over of the innings by the scheduled time, one fewer fielder will be permitted outside of the 30-yard circle for the remaining overs of the innings. Also, stipulations regarding number of local and overseas players in a team will be removed in case the available pool of players shrinks due to a virus outbreak. Etisalat subscribers can watch the PSL matches this season. Also, viewers can catch the live action online through tapmad TV, who will be streaming the matches. Karachi Kings Babar Azam (c), Amir Yamin, Chris Jordan, Imad Wasim, Joe Clarke, Lewis Gregory, Mohammad Amir, Jordan Thompson, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Nabi , Rohail Nazir, Muhammad Imran, Qasim Akram, Romario Shepherd, Faisal Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sharjeel Khan, Talha Ahsan, Tom Abell, Umaid Asif. Islamabad United Shadab Khan (c), Alex Hales, Asif Ali, Ather Mehmood, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Azam Khan, Danish Aziz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Colin Munro, Marchant De Lange, Mohammad Akhlaq, Musa Khan, Paul Stirling, Mubasir Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Reece Topley, Zahir Khan, Zafar Gohar, Zeeshan Zameer. Multan Sultans Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Amir Azmat, Anwar Ali, Asif Afridi, Blessing Muzarabani, David Willey, Ihsanullah, Imran Khan Snr, Imran Tahir , Khushdil Shah, Odean Smith, Rilee Rossouw, Rizwan Hussain, Rovman Powell, Rumman Raees, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood, Tim David. Peshawar Zalmi Wahab Riaz (c), Aarish Ali Khan, Arshad Iqbal, Shoaib Malik, Hazratullah Zazai, Saqib Mahmood, Hussain Talat, Ben Cutting, Haider Ali, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Umar, Salman Irshad, Liam Livingstone, Sameen Gul, Sherfane Rutherford, Sirajuddin, Sohail Khan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Usman Qadir. Lahore Qalandars Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abdullah Shafiq, Phil Salt, Akif Javed, Dawid Wiese, Mohammad Hafeez , Ahmed Daniyal, Dean Foxcroft, Haris Rauf, Harry Brook, Fakhar Zaman, Imran Randhawa, Kamran Ghulam, Maaz Khan, Rashid Khan , Samit Patel, Syed Faridoun, Sohail Akhtar, Zaman Khan, Zeeshan Ashraf. Quetta Gladiators Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Ahsan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Ben Duckett, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Dan Lawrence, Ghulam Mudassar, Iftikhar Ahmed, James Faulkner, James Vince, Jason Roy, Khurram Shehzad, Muhammad Ashar Qureshi, Naseem Shah, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal. Thursday, Jan 27 — 6pm (UAE time): Karachi Kings v Multan Sultans, National Stadium, Karachi Friday, Jan 28 — 6pm: Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi, National Stadium, Karachi Saturday, Jan 29 — 1pm: Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars, Karachi; 6pm: Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Sunday, Jan 30 — 1pm: Peshawar Zalmi v Islamabad United, Karachi; 6pm: Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Monday, Jan 31 — 6pm: Quetta Gladiators v Multan Sultans, Karachi Tuesday, Feb 1 — 6pm: Islamabad United v Multan Sultans, Karachi Wednesday, Feb 2 — 6pm: Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Thursday, Feb 3 — 6pm: Quetta Gladiators v Islamabad United, Karachi Friday, Feb 4 — 6pm: Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Saturday, Feb 5 — 1pm: Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars, Karachi; 6pm: Peshawar Zalmi v Multan Sultans, Karachi Sunday, Feb 6 — 6pm: Karachi Kings v Islamabad United, Karachi Monday, Feb 7 — 6pm: Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Thursday, Feb 10 — 6pm: Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Friday, Feb 11 — 6pm: Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans, Lahore Saturday, Feb 12 — 6pm: Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators, Lahore Sunday, Feb 13 — 1pm: Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings, Lahore; 6pm: Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators, Lahore Monday, Feb 14 — 6pm: Islamabad United v Karachi Kings, Lahore Tuesday, Feb 15 — 6pm: Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators, Lahore Wednesday, Feb 16 — 6pm: Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings, Lahore Thursday, Feb 17 — 6pm: Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi, Lahore Friday, Feb 18 — 2pm: Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators, Lahore; 7pm: Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings, Lahore Saturday, Feb 19 — 6pm: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United, Lahore Sunday, Feb 20 — 1pm: Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings, Lahore; 6pm: Multan Sultans v Islamabad United, Lahore Monday, Feb 21 — 6pm: Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi, Lahore Wednesday, Feb 23 — 6pm: Qualifier, Lahore Thursday, Feb 24 — 6pm: Eliminator 1, Lahore Friday, Feb 25 — 6pm: Eliminator 2, Lahore Sunday, Feb 27 — 6pm: Final, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

PSL 2022: squads, fixtures, health protocols and how to watch matches in UAE

The seventh edition of Pakistan's premier T20 league will be held in Karachi and Lahore