The 2023 Pakistan Super League (branded as HBL PSL 8) was the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League, a professional Twenty20 cricket league organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Then PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had hinted at an auction-based system to replace the draft for the 2023 season but a draft was retained. The draft for the tournament was held on 15 December in Karachi. A total of 36 foreign players were picked alongside local players. Lahore Qalandars were the defending champions.
The tournament was to be played between 13 February to 19 March 2023, However, on 16 March 2023, PCB moved forward the final by a day to 18 March 2023 due to bad weather forecast predicted in Lahore, with 19 and 20 March set as reserve days.
In the final, Lahore Qalandars defeated Multan Sultans by a minor margin of 1 run to become the first team in the PSL to defend their title.
Squads
In November 2022, the retained player's list was announced. Squads for the tournament were finalized on 15 December with the final draft.
Islamabad United Karachi Kings Lahore Qalandars Multan Sultans Peshawar Zalmi Quetta Gladiators Shadab Khan (c) Asif Ali (vc) Azam Khan Hasan Ali Faheem Ashraf Mohammad Wasim Colin Munro Paul Stirling Alex Hales Rahmanullah Gurbaz Fazalhaq Farooqi Abrar Ahmed Sohaib Maqsood Rumman Raees Zeeshan Zameer Hassan Nawaz Moeen Ali Mubasir Khan Tom Curran Zafar Gohar Gus Atkinson Tymal Mills Rassie van der Dussen Imad Wasim (c) Mohammad Amir Aamer Yamin Sharjeel Khan Qasim Akram
Shoaib Malik Haider Ali Matthew Wade Imran Tahir James Fuller Andrew Tye Tayyab Tahir Muhammad Akhlaq Irfan Khan Mohammad Umar Ben Cutting Muhammad Musa Faisal Akram Adam Rossington Akif Javed Shaheen Afridi (c) David Wiese (vc) Haris Rauf Rashid Khan Abdullah Shafique Kamran Ghulam
Zaman Khan Fakhar Zaman Hussain Talat Sikandar Raza
Dilbar Hussain Mirza Tahir Baig Ahmed Daniyal Shawaiz Irfan Ahsan Hafeez Jalat Khan Sam Billings
Shane Dadswell Shai Hope Mohammad Rizwan (c) Shan Masood (vc)
Khushdil Shah Rilee Rossouw Tim David Abbas Afridi Ihsanullah David Miller
Akeal Hosein Usama Mir Usman Khan Sameen Gul Anwar Ali Mohammad Sarwar
Arafat Minhas Kieron Pollard Amad Butt Izharulhaq Naveed
Mohammad Ilyas Carlos Brathwaite Sheldon Cottrell Babar Azam (c) Wahab Riaz (vc) Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Salman Irshad Mohammad Haris Aamer Jamal Bhanuka Rajapaksa Danish Aziz Arshad Iqbal Usman Qadir Saim Ayub Sufiyan Muqeem Haseebullah Khan James Neesham Khurram Shahzad Haris Sohail Shakib Al Hasan Richard Gleeson Peter Hatzoglou Azmatullah Omarzai Dasun Shanaka Saad Masood Sarfaraz Ahmed (c) Mohammad Nawaz (vc) Iftikhar Ahmed Jason Roy Mohammad Hasnain Umar Akmal Will Smeed
Naseem Shah Odean Smith
Umaid Asif Mohammad Zahid Abdul Bangalzai Aimal Khan Martin Guptill Omair Yousuf Qais Ahmad Saud Shakeel Nuwan Thushara Dwaine Pretorius
Mohammad Hafeez Yasir Khan Najibullah Zadran Bismillah Khan
Venues The Pakistan Cricket Board announced plans to hold matches in Multan, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi during the 2023 season. Lahore and Karachi were only the venues in 2022. The Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar was declared unfit to hold any matches in the tournament. Quetta's Bugti Stadium was later added to the list of PSL venues but was removed shortly after due to logistical reasons. The PCB considered moving the matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi to Karachi after a dispute with the Punjab government over the cost of security arrangements but did not do so after the dispute was resolved.
Multan Karachi Lahore RawalpindiMultan Cricket StadiumNational Bank Cricket ArenaGaddafi StadiumRawalpindi Cricket StadiumCapacity: 35,000Capacity: 34,000Capacity: 27,000Capacity: 15,000 Matches: 5Matches: 9Matches: 9Matches: 11
Match officials On 7 February, PCB announced the list of officials for league stage matches which included 3 Elite Panel of ICC Umpires out of 14.
Umpires
Ahsan Raza Aleem Dar Alex Wharf Asif Yaqoob Faisal Afridi Martin Saggers Michael Gough Mohammad Asif Nasir Hussain Rashid Riaz Richard Illingworth Ruchira Palliyaguruge Shozab Raza Tariq Rasheed
Referees
Ali Naqvi Iftikhar Ahmed Muhammad Javed Mohammad Anees Roshan Mahanama
Marketing
The season's logo variant was unveiled on 26 January with the hashtags #HBLPSL8 and #SabSitarayHamaray being used for promotion on social media; latter being the official anthem. Previously, the slogan for this season had been 'Soch Hai Apki' but was later changed.
Trophy The trophy for this season, named Supernova, was unveiled on 9 February 2023. It was entirely made in Pakistan by Lahore-based Mahfooz Jewellers.
League stage Format Each team played every other team twice in the league stage of the tournament in a double round robin. Following the group stage, the top four teams qualified for the playoff stage of the tournament.
Points table
The top 4 teams qualified for the playoffs. Advances to Qualifier. Advances to Eliminator 1.
Notes: C = Champions; R = Runner-up; (x) = Position at the end of the tournament
Summary
League progression
Fixtures The PCB announced the fixtures on 20 January 2023. An exhibition match was played between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators before the start of league at the Bugti Stadium and was won by the Gladiators by 3 runs.
Karachi and Multan
Lahore and Rawalpindi
Playoffs
Qualifier
Eliminators Eliminator 1
Eliminator 2
Final
Awards and statistics Abbas Afridi, the leading wicket taker of the tournament, was awarded with the Fazal Mahmood Cap, and Mohammad Rizwan, the leading runs scorer, was awarded with the Hanif Mohammad Cap.
Most runs Player Team RunsMohammad RizwanMultan Sultans550Babar AzamPeshawar Zalmi522Rilee RossouwMultan Sultans453Fakhar ZamanLahore Qalandars429Imad WasimKarachi Kings404 Source: ESPNcricinfo
Most wickets Player Team WicketsAbbas AfridiMultan Sultans23IhsanullahMultan Sultans22Rashid KhanLahore Qalandars20Shaheen AfridiLahore Qalandars19Usama MirMultan Sultans17 Source: ESPNcricinfo
End of season awards Name Team Award Prize Ihsanullah Multan Sultans Player of the Tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Mohammad Rizwan Multan Sultans Batsman of the tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Ihsanullah Multan Sultans Bowler of the tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Imad Wasim Karachi Kings All-rounder of the tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Mohammad Rizwan Multan Sultans Wicket-keeper of the tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Kieron Pollard Multan Sultans Fielder of the tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Abbas Afridi Multan Sultans Emerging player of the tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Alex Wharf Umpire of the tournament 30 lakh (10,645) Peshawar Zalmi Spirit of cricket 30 lakh (10,645) Source: Geo Super, CricTracker
Team of the tournament Players Mohammad Rizwan Babar Azam Mohammad Haris Rilee Rossouw Azam Khan Kieron Pollard Imad Wasim Shaheen Afridi (c) Rashid Khan Abbas Afridi Ihsanullah Saim Ayub (12th man) Source: PCB, GeoSuperTV
Notes
References
External links League home at ESPNcricinfo