The Pakistan Super League(PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan composed of 5 member clubs. Headquartered in Lahore, the PSL is considered to become the premier professional cricket league in Pakistan. The league is composed of 5 teams and the PSL regular season runs through the month of February, with each team playing 8 games; the top 4 teams with the best record will qualify for the post season (or playoffs), culminating in the championship game, the PSL Cup.

Instead of operating as an association of independently owned teams, the PSL is a single entity in which each team is owned and controlled by the league’s investors.

Establishment

In September 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board officially announced the launch of the Pakistan Super League. Former captains Wasim Akram and Rameez Raja signed up to become brand ambassadors of the PSL for the next three years. After several years of planning, the league will officially begin on February 4, 2016, in the United Arab Emirates. The PSL immediately took the place as one of the leagues that contested for the annual T20 cup. The PSL will begin with five teams (all based in Pakistan) and, through a series of expansions over the next several seasons, will expand to a 10 team league with two conferences. The league draws many highly skilled players from all over the world and currently has players from approximately 11 different countries. Pakistanis have historically constituted the majority of the players in the Haier T20 League – in the PSL however there is a higher percentage of Asian and European players. The league uses the draft system for player recruitment, similar to that of the National Football League in the United States, as opposed to the “auction” used in other T20 leagues. The PSL’s official logo and anthem of the first season were launched on 20 September 2015 in a launching ceremony in Lahore.

Inaugural Season

The inaugural 2016 PSL season will commence on 4 February 2016 and end on 24 February 2016. The five teams for the first season will represent the five major cities of Pakistan. Teams taking part in inaugural season are: