Captains of the franchises competing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 11 have said the league’s standard and popularity will continue to grow despite fans being unable to attend matches in person, 24NewsHD TV reported.
Addressing a joint pre-tournament press conference at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, the skippers, while expressing confidence in their squads, said they were determined to deliver an intense title race.
Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said his side had prepared well for the new season and was ready to put up a strong challenge in the tournament.
“PSL has enjoyed 10 successful years, and the quality of cricket in the league will remain high in the future as well,” Shaheen said.
Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam said the players would miss the presence of supporters in the stands but pledged to provide compelling cricket for fans watching on television.
“We will miss the fans, but we will try to play our best cricket and give viewers exciting matches,” Babar said.
Rawalpindi captain Mohammad Rizwan said the league was set for further growth in the years ahead, adding that PSL’s success and popularity would continue to rise.
“It will be a good tournament, and all teams will try to produce quality cricket,” Rizwan said.
Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne said his priority was to ensure his players gelled quickly and performed as a united side.
“Our effort will be to help the players settle in quickly with one another so that we can play as a strong team,” Labuschagne said.
Multan Sultans captain Ashton Turner said he was pleased to be in Pakistan and backed his side to perform strongly in the tournament.
“It feels great to be in Pakistan. We will try to play good cricket. Multan is a good team, and all the players are quality cricketers,” Turner said.
The opening match of PSL 11 will be played on Wednesday at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, where defending champions Lahore Qalandars will face Hyderabad Kingsmen.