Pakistan Super League 2017

Season two of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) kicked off on February 9 with the opening ceremony being held at Dubai International Stadium. The opening ceremony started with the national anthems of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and hit high notes with upbeat performances by Jamaican singing sensation Shaggy and Pakistani singers Shahzad Roy and Ali Zafar. Celebrity and TV show host Fahad Mustafa charged up the crowd with chants of "This league belongs to the whole of Pakistan". Songs in the four provincial languages were played, as dancers in traditional wear took center stage. The cultural act included a 3D projection for the first time ever in a Pakistani show which illuminated the famed 'Ring of Fire' stadium in Dubai. A remarkable fireworks display concluded the event, and participants of the ceremony cleared the field to make way for the first match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United.

The 2016 Pakistan Super League match between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars managed to grab more eyeballs than the India-Pakistan quarterfinal match in the 2011 World Cup. And, if the numbers are anything to go by, then the PSL is sure to set new benchmarks in the years to come. But for now five teams - defending champions Islamabad United, runners-up Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars - are ready to create a sandstorm in the desert with some nail-biting and lip-smacking cricket.

The 'Spirit Trophy' dazzles with the innovative Crystal Fine Rocks - a product made using over 50,000 double pointed crystals from Swarovski. Sitting on the pinnacle is the Shooting Star, a multi-faceted crystal sculpture made with precision cut technology.

HBL PSL 2017 trophies will also be awarded for the best batsman, best bowler, wicket-keeper and man-of-the-tournament. The Best Batsman's trophy (a crystallized cricket bat) is named after legendary Pakistan batsman Hanif Mohammad; the Best Bowler's trophy (a crystallized cricket ball) is named after legendary fast bowler Fazal Mahmood (a crystallized cricket ball); the Best Wicket-keeper's trophy (a crystallized wicket-keeper's glove) named after legendary wicket-keeper Imtiaz Ahmed; and the Man of the Tournament's trophy (a crystallized rising star).

The number of matches has been increased from 16 to 24 in the second season, with Dubai playing host to 13 of them including the Playoff 3 on March. The Dubai International Stadium has hosted international cricket since 2009 and has staged more T20Is than any other venue -.43. Each of the five sides will be involved in a double-leg round-robin league thereby playing eight games each. The top four teams will then qualify for the playoffs wherein the first-ranked team at the end of the league stage will take on the second-placed side in the first playoff. The second playoff will see the third and the fourth ranked side take on each other before the losing team from the first playoff faces the winning team from the second playoff. The PSL between the winner of the first playoff and the third playoff will be held in Lahore on March 5 after the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed that it will be played in Pakistan.

Book your tickets soon to watch the showdown live. Tickets are available from the Q-Tickets website which is the official online ticketing partner for the event. For the double-headers played in Dubai, tickets range between Dh40 and 275 while the single game on 12 February 12, ticket price range between Dh20 and 220.