Cricket in Pakistan over the past few years has been a story of several homecomings. From the first One Day International series against Zimbabwe, through the World XI series and on to the Pakistan Super League (PSL), banners reading “cricket comes home” could be spotted in every match.

This time promises to be no different as Peshawar Zalmi are set to take on Islamabad United in a much anticipated PSL final at National Stadium Karachi; a venue set to host its first high-profile game since the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test in February 2009. Pakistan’s biggest city – a teeming, multi-cultural metropolis – has been deprived of major cricket for almost a decade. The atmosphere is electric as Karachi gets to have its own cricket homecoming, but the challenges that stand before it are many.

Lahore’s first high-profile cricket match proved to be administrative and security nightmare, but over time the municipal authorities have managed to produce a makeshift management plan for these events which get better every time. Municipal authorities in Karachi will be facing this gargantuan task for the first time, while security in the notoriously complicated urban environment will be a challenge on its own. Nonetheless, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has spent a lot of time overviewing the arrangements and refurbishing the storied stadium, and seems confident that it can pull off the event smoothly

Beyond these concerns there is plenty of cricket on offer, as is the prospect of a cracking contest. Both teams have one PSL title to their name, with Peshawar being defending champions, while Islamabad won the inaugural edition in 2016. Both are presently at the top of their game and made their way to the final with some style. A victory for either one will cement them as leading team in PSL history and team to beat in the (hopefully many) tournaments to come.