Music, festivities and fireworks aplenty at PSL 2018 opening ceremony in Dubai

Published February 22, 2018
PSL 2018 teams arrive
 in the ground during the opening ceremony.
 — Photo by Adil Mulki
PSL 2018 teams arrive in the ground during the opening ceremony. — Photo by Adil Mulki

The 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL) kicked off on Thursday with a glitzy opening ceremony at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Following a countdown to the big launch, the event officially began with Sachal Orchestra playing the national anthem of Pakistan.

Moments later, Ali Zafar took the centre stage and entertained the crowd with a special PSL rendition of his famous track, Rockstar.

Hareem Fatima and Bilal Ashraf spoke briefly but soon made way for master presenter Ramiz Raja, who introduced the league's expansion franchise: the Multan Sultans.

The Sultans were followed by Islamabad United and the Karachi Kings. The Lahore Qalandars and reigning champions Peshawar Zalmi didn't take long in joining their rivals in the middle.

The tradition in sports is for the champions to be introduced last but the organisers, for some reason, reserved that honour for the two-time finalists: the Quetta Gladiators.

'PSL is a national asset'

PCB Chairman Najam Sethi also addressed the crowd, saying: "A sixth member of the PSL family has joined us this year. Last year, 24 matches happened, this year there will be 34. The PSL is a national asset and we need to safeguard it."

"We are honoured to work with the PCB and help with a platform that could launch the careers of many young cricketers," added HBL COO Sagheer Mufti.

Performers take the stage

The first performer of the night was the legendary Sufi singer Abida Parween.

Once her set was over it was pop star Shehzad Roy's turn to entertain the audience.

Hareem and Bilal then introduced US pop star Jason Derulo, which drew loud cheers from the crowd.

The American crooner started off with a lesser known number before lip-syncing to his famous track Swalla, which has over a billion views on YouTube.

Last but definitely not the least on the list was Ali Zafar again, who presented his official PSL anthem: Dil Se Jaan Laga De (Put your heart in it).

Fireworks around the stadium marked the end of the PSL 2018 opening ceremony, which meant the stage was set for the teams and cricketers to take over.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had invited a glut of Pakistani and international superstars to perform at the event.

Explore: PSL 2018 predictions: Sports journos put their clairvoyant caps on for the T20 spectacle

PSL's inception and what it means to Pakistan

Launched in 2016 after years of deliberation, the PSL is an annual T20 league which sees six city-based franchises fight amongst each other for the title.

While there exist several such leagues in the world of cricket, the PSL is arguably unique in the sense that none of its rivals mean as much to their respective countries as the PSL does to Pakistan.

This is due to the PCB's almost decade-long inability to hold a home series at home — a predicament that the PSL seems to be helping remedy bit by bit each year.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.