DUBAI - Peshawar Zalmi kick start their title defence today (Thursday) against Pakistan Super League debutants Multan sultans at Dubai Cricket Stadium.
Zalmi have been the most consistent side since the Pakistan Super League began two years ago. They've finished top of the table both seasons, and although a blip in the qualifiers meant they missed out on a place in the final in 2016, they made amends in bombastic style last year. After comfortably beating Karachi to make it through to the final, they dismantled Quetta Gladiators, romping to the title with a 58-run victory. They were fortunate in that the entirety of their foreign contingent, spearheaded by a talismanic Darren Sammy, decided to come to Lahore for the final. Quetta Gladiators' foreign players decided against travelling, and the gulf in quality was palpable.
Zalmi have retained the spine of the squad that won them the title last year. The most significant draft activity was the signing of Dwayne Bravo, who missed the PSL last year. Tamim Iqbal, whom they didn't retain, was picked up in the draft, effectively meaning ten players from last year's squad have been retained. The immensely popular Sammy will continue to captain the defending champions. Clearly, Zalmi are sticking to the winning formula.
The highest-profile departure is that of Shahid Afridi, who transferred to Karachi Kings. Zalmi's squad boasts a group of players who had outstanding seasons last year. Kamran Akmal, the tournament's highest scorer, will line up for them again, while last year's second-highest wicket-taker, Wahab Riaz (15 wickets at 13.53 with an economy of 6.15), will look to reprise his role as the tournament's best bowler. Hasan Ali will not be able to play the opener due to an injury and it would be seen that how the Zalmi coaching staff would go for their combination.
The Multan Sultans addition will make the PSL’s third edition lengthier as the four-week-long tournament will now host 34 matches — 10 more than the second edition. The expansion of the PSL, after just two seasons, signifies the popularity the T20 league enjoys in the country. The Sultans’ sale price is also telling of this fact. The league's first expansion franchise was acquired by the Dubai-based firm Schon Group at a price of $5.2m per year — exactly the double of what was paid for the previous most expensive team: the Karachi Kings.
Their roster was completed in two phases. Its core unit — their captain Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Kumar Sangakkara, and Sohail Tanvir — came together in October, 2017 when the franchise announced their nine picks from the players released by the other five franchises. The remaining line-up was finalised during the player draft in November. The franchise roped in Wasim Akram, credited for playing an instrumental role in Islamabad United’s title triumph in the inaugural edition, as Director of Cricket Operations. Tom Moody, the seasoned Australian coach under whose tutelage Sri Lanka reached the final of the 2007 World Cup and the Sunrisers Hyderabad won the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League, was appointed as head coach.
Sultans’ squad is built around specialist T20 all-rounders in the likes of Malik, Pollard, and Sohail Tanvir, who is the only bowling all-rounder in the list. But their batting is their strongest suit. With players like Ahmed Shehzad, Darren Bravo, Kumar Sangakkara assisted by pinch-hitters Pollard, Malik, Sohaib Maqsood and globetrotter Tanvir, the Sultans have all the right ingredients to post big scores.
The presence of Pollard and Malik — the third- and the fifth-highest run scorers in the T20 format with 7,883 runs at a strike rate of 151 and 7,450 at 124 respectively — gives them much-desired depth in their batting unit.
It is the spinners who wreak havoc on the pitches in the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. However, the Sultans have invested heavily to take Pakistan’s left-arm pace attack on board with the signings of Sohail Tanvir, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Abbas. They have also picked Imran Tahir, who has accumulated 217 wickets at an average of 22, in the Platinum category, but they lack a decent spin partner to support the South Africa international. This could potentially allow opposition batsmen an opportunity to score freely in the middle-overs. Moreover, the Sultans, a newly-knit unit, will require time to gel, which might allow the already established oppositions to bag crucial points against them early on.