Aleem Dar to officiate PSL for final time as PCB announces match officials for PSL X
The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the match officials for HBL Pakistan Super League X, scheduled to take place across four venues – Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi from 11 April to 18 May.
Aleem Dar, widely regarded as one of the world’s most respected and admired cricket umpires, will officiate in the Pakistan Super League matches for one last time as he is ready to end his glistering umpiring career.
He has already decided to retire at the end of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s 2024-25 season, concluding a career that has spanned nearly a quarter of a century.
A true gentleman both on and off the field, Aleem is also a three-time winner of the prestigious David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year (2009-2011).
The 56-year-old Aleem also enjoyed a playing career of 17 first-class and 18 List-A matches between 1986 and 1998, before he made his first-class umpiring debut during the 1998-99 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. From 2003 to 2023, he served on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, where he earned a reputation for his player management skills, understanding of the playing conditions, calm demeanor and outstanding decision-making.
He is currently part of the PCB’s Elite Panel and remains one of four Pakistani umpires on the ICC’s International Panel, making him eligible to officiate in ODIs and T20Is.
To date, Aleem has officiated in a record-breaking 145 Tests, 231 ODIs, 72 T20Is, 5 WT20Is, 181 first-class matches, and 282 List-A matches.
His contributions to the sport extend far beyond these numbers, with his professionalism and respectful manner making him a beloved figure worldwide.
A total of 13 umpires and seven match referees will be involved in 30 matches, while the match officials for the Qualifier, two eliminators and final, will be announced in due course.
Elite Panel of ICC Umpires – Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel and Kumar Dharmasena are among the 13 umpires officiating in the six-team tournament. Also included are Alex Wharf and Chris Brown.
Other than Aleem Dar, from Pakistan, Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Khan Aafreedi, Rashid Riaz Waqar are part of the PCB International Panel of Umpires.
Abdul Moqeet, Nasir Hussain, Tariq Rasheed and Zulfiqar Jan – part of PCB Elite Panel of Umpires will also be officiating matches during this edition of the HBL PSL.
Among the match referees, ICC Elite Panel of Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle will officiate matches alongside his fellow Sri Lankan Roshan Mahanama. Also serving as match referees are Ali Naqvi and Muhammad Javed Malik – both from the PCB International Panel of Match Referees.
Iftikhar Ahmed, Iqbal Sheikh and Nadeem Arshad will also officiate during the tournament.