LAHORE: Chairman of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Najam Sethi on Friday annou­nced the addition of a sixth team to the existing five teams in the cricket tournament’s next edition.

He also said the total number of matches in the PSL’s next iteration would increase to 34, out of which eight matches, he said, could be held in Pakistan.

Cricket fans have been speculating anxiously about the inclusion of at least one more team in the PSL since the beginning of the league.

An overwhelming number of cricket followers replied to Najam Sethi’s tweet with the suggestion to have the new team launch under the banner of “Kashmir”.

However, against the backdrop of Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) ongoing friction with the Indian cricket board, it remains to be seen whether such a suggestion will be taken.

This year’s PSL saw its final match take place at Lahore’s Gadaffi stadium.

The last match of the tournament, played between Quetta Gladia­tors and Peshawar Zalmi, ended with Zalmi lifting the championship trophy.

With the inclusion of one more team and an expanded number of fixtures, next year’s PSL could be bigger in size and commercial value.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2017