DSPORT, a premium sports TV channel launched by Discovery Communications India, will broadcast the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2018.
DSPORT will air LIVE & Exclusive all the 34 matches of the third edition of the premier T20 competition in Pakistan. Scheduled to begin on February 23, 2018, PSL will see participation from 6 teams including debutant Multan Sultans.
The third edition of the HBL PSL is expected to get bigger and better with the addition of 10 extra games (24 games last season), one new team (Multan Sultans) and participation from some very prominent names in international T20 cricket. Among them are likes of the South African born English maverick Kevin Pietersen, Kiwi master blaster Brendon McCullum, Caribbean T20 stars Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara. Among local cricketers participating will be Pakistan cricket’s biggest superstar Shahid Afridi and former captain Misbah Ul Haq apart from present captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and all current national players including the likes of Mohammad Amir, new batting sensation Babar Azam and veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik.
Besides, the Pakistani superstars are joined by top-tier international players such as Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Chris Lynn (Australia), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), JP Duminy (South Africa) and Rashid Khan (Afghanistan). The player roster also includes Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand), Luke Ronchi (New Zealand), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Jason Holder (West Indies), Darren Bravo(West Indies), Evin Lewis (West Indies), Lendl Simmons (West Indies), James Vince (England), Tim Bresnan (England), Adil Rashid(England), John Hastings (Australia), Wayne Parnell (South Africa), Albie Morkel (South Africa), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka).
In a bid to form the initial teams, the five teams from the previous two seasons were allowed to retain two players each from the Platinum, Diamond and Gold category, and three from the Silver category. Multan Sultans were allowed to pick nine players from the five categories in the pre – draft which meant they only had the right to those players which the first five teams didn’t retain in their squad.
The player pool for the HBL PSL Player Draft 2017 will now consist of new signings along with players who were released during the retention window and went unpicked in the expansion draft.