With PSL 2020 playoffs just around the corner, multiple foreign players have arrived in the country, ahead of remaining 4 matches of Pakistan’s local cricket tournament, scheduled to recommence from November 14th.
Pakistan’s biggest cricket franchise, Pakistan Super League [PSL 2020] season 2020 was halted in the month of March, owing to the global corona virus pandemic. All the International players that participated in the series had returned to their respective countries, way before the PSL 5 playoffs came to pass. And as a result, the tournament was left hanging without the declared champions.
However, 2 months back, Pakistan’s cricket Board (PCB) took the cricket fans by storm as it announced to reinitiate the series, from where it was frozen. Further, the cricket council revealed that international players will also be part of the remaining matches, adding a cherry on top for the die-hard PSL admirers.
Change of Venue
At first, the 3 days remaining matches were intended to take place in Gaddadi stadium Lahore. Nevertheless, considering the foggy weather conditions of the city, the PSL 2020 playoffs have been officially shifted to the port city.
Therefore, the final venue for the tournament is National Stadium Karachi.
PSL 2020 Playoffs schedule
| Date | Match | Time |
| 14th November Match 1 [Qualifier] Match 2 [Eliminator 1] | Multan Sultans Vs. Karachi Kings Lahore Qalandars Vs. Peshawar Zalmi | 3:00 Pm 8:00 Pm |
| 15th November Eliminator 2 | Loser Qualifier Vs. Winner Eliminator | 7:00 Pm |
| 17th November Grand Finale | Winner Qualifier Vs. Winner Eliminator 2 | 7:00 Pm |
Points table positions
It is relevant to mention that prior to the pandemic hiatus; two teams out of six had eliminated from the tournament and would not be part of the PSL 5 playoffs. Namely Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators, the teams performed spectacularly throughout the series, however being the bottom two names, the players had to bid their goodbyes to the audience.
Remaining four squads that would go head to head in the PSL 2020 playoffs are,
Multan Sultans, ruling the points table with 14 points
Karachi Kings placed at second with 11 points
Lahore Qalandars lying below with 10 points
Peshawar Zalmi lying at the bottom with 9 points
Read More: PSL 2020 remaining matches to be played in Lahore
Foreign players arrive in Karachi
With the tournament approaching, a total of 21 foreign players have also enrooted to the country, as they arrive one after another, ready to back their particular squads. Among the foreigners, seven are coming from South Africa, six from England, four from West Indies, two from Bangladesh and one each from Australia and New Zealand.
Henceforth, the international champions that have already landed in Karachi ahead of the PSL 5 playoffs are,
Karachi Kings: Chadwick Walton, Alex Hales, Cameron Delport
Multan Sultans: Ravi Bopara, Rilee Roussouw, Adam Lyth
Lahore Qalandars: Ben Dunk, Dane Vilas, David Wiese, Samit Patel
Peshawar Zalmi: Carlos Brathwaite, Saqib Mehmood, Faf Du Plessis
PSL 5 playoffs squad
Karachi kings:
Local players: Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Aamir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Awais Zia, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Sharjeel Khan, Umaid Asif, Usama Mir, Waqas Mahmood.
Overseas: Alex Hales [England], Cameron Delport [South Africa], Mitchell McClenaghan [New Zealand], Chadwick Walton [West Indies], Sherfane Rutherford [West Indies]
Lahore Qalandars
Local players: Abid Ali, Agha Salman, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Farzan Raja, Haris Rauf, Jaahid Ali, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Akhtar, Usman Shinwari
Overseas: Ben Dunk [Australia], Dane Vilas [South Africa], David Wiese [South Africa], Tamim Iqbal [Bangladesh], Samit Patel [England]
Multan Sultans
Local players: Ali Shafiq, Bilawal Bhatti, Junaid Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Irfan, Rohail Nazir, Shaan Masood, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir and Zeeshan Ashraf
Overseas: Adam Lyth [England], Imran Tahir [South Africa], James Vince [England], Mahmudullah [Bangladesh], Ravi Bopara [England], Rilee Rossouw [South Africa]
Peshawar Zalmi
Local players: Aamir Ali, Adil Amin, Haider Ali Khan, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Mohsin, Rahat Ali, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah
Overseas: Carlos Brathwaite [West Indies], Darren Sammy [West Indies], Faf du Plessis [South Africa], Hardus Viljoen [South Africa], Liam Livingstone [England]
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