It is T20 league season, and the Pakistan Super League is preparing to be the next big franchise to excite fans.

In January, two big tournaments started: the International League T20 and the SA20, a South Africa T20 tournament. The Bangladesh Premier League and the Big Bash League are still ongoing. In short, franchise cricket is going on all over the place.

Pakistan will show off their T20 charm the following month. Their popular PSL starts on February 13 with a match between the 2022 finalists Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans.

Last year, Lahore beat Multan at home by 42 runs to win the PSL title. This showed that fast bowler and team captain Shaheen Afridi had become the best cricket player in the country.

Some of the biggest names in franchise cricket will go to Pakistan again this year to compete for the top prize.

A draft chooses the best players in the PSL, so there is a limit to how much they can make. Platinum's top level has a base price of $130,000 and players can earn up to $170,000.

Highest-paid cricketers at PSL 2023

• Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi): up to $170,000*

• Shaheen Afridi (Lahore Qalandars): $170,000

• Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans): $170,000

• Shadab Khan (Islamabad United): $170,000

• Sam Billings (Lahore Qalandars): $170,000

• Tymal Mills (Islamabad United): $170,000

• Haider Ali (Karachi Kings): $170,000

• Matthew Wade (Karachi Kings): $170,000

• Imran Tahir (Karachi Kings): $170,000

• Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars): $170,000

• Izharulhaq Naveed (Multan Sultans): $170,000

• Gus Atkinson (Islamabad United): $170,000

• Josh Little (Multan Sultans): $170,000

• Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Peshawar Zalmi): $170,000

• Richard Gleeson (Peshawar Zalmi): $170,000

• Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators): $170,000

• Naseem Shah (Quetta Gladiators): $170,000

*All platinum category players receive a salary of $130,000 to $170,000.

Stats and Fixtures

Fans can't wait for the eighth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a Twenty20 tournament. The opening ceremony for PSL 8 will be in Multan on February 13, right before the first game between the 2021 winners Multan Sultans and the defending champions Lahore Qalandars. The closing ceremony and final will be in Lahore on March 19, where the playoffs will be held.

Lahore Qalandars will try to become the first team to win back-to-back titles, while Islamabad United will try to win the trophy three times and become the most successful team.

Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans, and Islamabad United will each play five home games, one against each team.

Rawalpindi will host 11 games, Karachi and Lahore will each host 9 games, and Multan will host 5 games.

Most wins

Islamabad United has won more PSL games than any other team, with 41 wins in 77 games.

Highest strike-rate

Tim David from Australia has the highest strike rate in PSL history, based on at least 10 innings. His strike rate is 182.47.

Most sixes

Kamran Akmal, who keeps wickets and hits sixes, has hit the most sixes (89) in the PSL after seven full seasons.

Highest Total

In 2021, Islamabad United scored 247-2 against Peshawar Zalmi in Abu Dhabi. This was the highest score in the history of the PSL. Usman Khawaja of Australia got a hundred, which started the huge total.

Best Economy rate

Rashid Khan has the best economy in the PSL. In 17 games, he has given up only 5.88 runs per over.

The Squad

Islamabad United

Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abrar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zamir, Hassan Nawaz, Moeen Ali, Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Zafar Gohar, Gus Atkinson (partial replacement for Rahmanullah Gurbaz), Tymal Mills (partial replacement for Alex Hales)

Karachi Kings

Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, Aamir Yamin, Mir Hamza, Sharjeel Khan, Qasim Akram, Matthew Wade, Imran Tahir, James Vince, James Fuller, Andrew Tye, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mohammad Umar, Ben Cutting, Musa Khan, Faisal Akram (partial replacement for Tabraiz Shamsi)

Lahore Qalandars

Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jordan Cox, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings (partial replacement for Rashid Khan), Shane Dadswell (replacement for Harry Brook), Kusal Mendis (partial replacement for Jordan Cox)

Multan Sultans

Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, Shan Masood, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tim David, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, David Miller, Josh Little, Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Sameen Gul, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Sarwar, Adil Rashid, Arafat Minhas, Kieron Pollard, Ammad Butt, Wayne Parnell (partial/full replacement for Adil Rashid), Izharulhaq Naveed (partial replacement for David Miller)

Peshawar Zalmi

Babar Azam, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Aamir Jamal, Salman Irshad, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rovman Powell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Saim Ayub, Usman Qadir, Suifyan Muqeem, Haseeb Ullah, Jimmy Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail, Richard Gleeson (partial replacement for Rovman Powell)

Quetta Gladiators

Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Will Smeed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naseem Shah, Odean Smith, Ahsan Ali, Umaid Asif, Muhammad Zahid, Abdul Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius (partial replacement for Odean Smith), Will Jacks (partial replacement for Jason Roy), Nuwan Thushara (partial replacement for Naveen ul Haq)