KARACHI: On February 5, at Quetta’s Bugti Stadium, star all-rounder Shahid Afridi will play for Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi against the Quetta Gladiators in an exhibition game.
In preparation for the upcoming eighth edition, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), along with the Balochistan administration, decided to arrange an exhibition game between the two Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams.
Sarfaraz Ahmed will lead the Gladiators’ team, which also includes Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Hasnain.
Notably, Najam Sethi, the chairman of the PCB management committee, declared that Quetta’s Bugti Stadium would host the PSL 8 matches, pending approval from law enforcement.
The PCB will organise a few exhibition matches in the city, Sethi later declared, but Quetta’s Bugti Stadium could not be entirely ready in time to host PSL matches.
“The Gladiators will now take the stage in front of their local audience on February 5th, in observance of the nationally recognized Kashmir Day, due to the recent scheduling change.”
It is important to note that the eighth PSL season, which will begin on February 13, will feature a curtain-raiser featuring Multan Sultans and the defending champion Lahore Qalandars. On March 19 in Lahore, the main event’s finale will take place.