We are in the middle of the T20 season and fans are spoilt for choice when it comes to franchise tournaments.
The exponential growth of T20 cricket means there is some league or another going on in some part of the world for most of the year.
This week, fans will get to enjoy another tournament to feast on with some of the most talented white-ball cricketers in action.
Pakistan has emerged as a stronghold for T20 talent and the Pakistan Super League has become one of the premier franchise tournaments. Players like Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah have become household names across the globe and a lot of credit for that goes to PSL.
Last season was a thriller, with Afridi guiding his Lahore Qalandars to a one-run win over Multan Sultans in the final, making it successive title wins against the same opposition.
As we prepare for the ninth season of PSL this week, here is everything you need to know.
When does PSL 2024 start?
The tournament starts on Saturday, February 17, in Lahore and the final takes place in Karachi on March 18.
Schedule
Teams
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (captain), Azam Khan (wk), Imad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Colin Munro, Alex Hales, Jordan Cox, Qasim Akram, Faheem Ashraf, Matthew Forde, Hunain Shah, Shamyl Hussain, Salman Ali Agha, Tymal Mills, Rumman Raees, Ubaid Shah, Tom Curran
Quetta Gladiators: Rilee Rossouw (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Jason Roy, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammad Amir, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Hasnain, Abrar Ahmed, Khawaja Nafay, Sherfane Rutherford, Will Smeed, Sajjad Ali (wk), Omair Bin Yousuf, Akeal Hosein, Usman Qadir, Adil Naz, Sohail Khan
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Rovman Powell, Asif Ali, Aamir Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Salman Irshad, Mohammad Zeeshan, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Shamar Joseph, Dan Mousley, Arif Yaqoob, Mehran Mumtaz, Khurram Shahzad, Umair Afridi, Lungi Ngidi
Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Afridi (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Abdullah Shafique, Rassie van der Dussen, Shai Hope (wk), Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Syed Faridoun, Mirza Tahir Baig, Kamran Ghulam, Dan Lawrence, Ahsan Bhatti, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Imran
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (captain, wk), Reeza Hendricks, Dawid Malan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, David Willey, Usama Mir, Tayyab Tahir, Abbas Afridi, Faisal Akram, Yasir Khan, Usman Khan, Aftab Ibrahim, Chris Jordan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Ali
Karachi Kings: Shan Masood (captain), James Vince, Tim Seifert (wk), Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Irfan Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Amir Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, Saad Baig, Mohammad Akhlaq (wk), Daniel Sams, Anwar Ali, Arafat Minhas, Sirajuddin
What is new?
For starters, veteran wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed has been replaced as captain of Quetta, with South African T20 veteran Rilee Rossouw named as skipper. It is a significant move as Sarfaraz had been Quetta's captain for eight seasons.
This year also sees a direct clash between the PSL and the other big league running concurrently – the DP World International League T20 in the UAE. The opening match of PSL is on the day of the final of ILT20 in Dubai. A few players have seen their stints in both tournaments curtailed or affected due to the overlap – a problem that will only grow in the future.
But there is some good news for PSL. Last month, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that the live-streaming and broadcast rights for PSL over the next two years had witnessed an increase of 113 and 45 per cent. The total value of the new PSL media deal is pegged at $30 million for two years, making it one of the most lucrative assets in cricket.
Prize money
Last season, winners Lahore received a grand prize of 120 million Pakistani rupees ($450,000). Runners-up Multan won 48m rupees ($180,000).
How to watch PSL 2024 in UAE?
Fans can watch PSL on CricLife 1 via the Starzplay app. PSL also upload match highlights to their YouTube channel.
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%203-litre%20V6%20turbo%20(standard%20model%2C%20E-hybrid)%3B%204-litre%20V8%20biturbo%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20350hp%20(standard)%3B%20463hp%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20467hp%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20500Nm%20(standard)%3B%20650Nm%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20600Nm%20(S)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh368%2C500%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
