Karachi to host PSL 2020 opener, Lahore gets decider.

The Newspaper's Sports Reporter -- he Newspaper's Sports Reporter

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LAHORE: A mural displayed outside the Gaddafi Stadium shows a countdown to the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League. -M. Arif/White Star

LAHORE: For the first time, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is going to stage all the 34 matches of the fifth HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) at four different centres of the country - Lahore, Karachi, Multan and Rawalpindi - from Feb 20 to March 22.

According to the schedule of the PSL 2020 announced by the PCB on Wednesday, Karachi's National Stadium will stage the opening ceremony followed by the league's first match between reigning champions Quetta Gladiators and former two-time winners Islamabad United on Feb 20 and the Gaddafi Stadium will host the final on March 22.

The National Stadium will also play host to the qualifier between the top two sides while the Gaddafi Stadium will be the venue of the two eliminators.

Fifty days before the start of PSL, the countdown clock has been mounted at the main entrance of the Gaddafi Stadium.

Of the 34 event matches, Gaddafi Stadium will host 14 matches and the National Stadium nine. Pindi Cricket Stadium and Multan Cricket Stadium, both of which will be hosting the PSL games for the very first time, have been given eight and three matches, respectively.

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani expressed his pleasure over organising the entire PSL in Pakistan.

Multan, Rawalpindi added to venues' list

'After bringing Test cricket back to Pakistan, hosting of the entire HBL Pakistan Super League is our other major achievement. I never had any doubts it was Pakistan's league and should be played in front of home crowds. We had made this commitment to the people of Pakistan at the end of last year's event and I am pleased today we have announced the event schedule with four centres to share the 34 event matches between them,' Mani stated.

'The HBL PSL 2020 will feature 36 foreign stars. It was gratifying that 425 overseas players from 22 countries registered their interest in playing in the PSL 2020. Of these, 39 from Afghanistan, 12 from Australia, 23 from Bangladesh, 10 from Canada, 109 from England, seven from Hong Kong, six from Ireland, seven from the Netherlands, eight from Nepal, 11 from New Zealand, nine from Oman, five from Scotland, four from Singapore, 27 from South Africa, 39 from Sri Lanka, nine from the UAE, six from the US, 82 from the West Indies, 9 from Zimbabwe and one each...