PSL 5 begin today and the opening match will be played between Gladiators and United

The thrilling matches of the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) begin today and the opening match of the event will be played between defending champion Quetta Gladiators and two-time champion Islamabad United.

After the long wait for the fourth edition of the season, the fifth edition of Pakistan Super League is finally returning to Pakistan and this year all 34 matches of the league will be played in 4 cities of the country.

The first edition of the Pakistan Super League was held in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 and in view of the league's outstanding success, preparations were made to bring it to Pakistan by holding the next edition of the final in Lahore.

Continuing efforts to revive world cricket in the country, three matches of the next edition were held in Pakistan and a final was held in Karachi. The PCB then successfully organized the fourth edition of the league's eight matches in Pakistan to give full effect to bring the league to Pakistan, which also restored the confidence of foreign players in Pakistan.

Immediately after the successful launch of the fourth edition, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that the fifth edition would be fully organized in Pakistan and the Pakistan Cricket Board made the PM's dream a reality and the PSL 2020 will be completed in Pakistan.

The fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League, fully organized in the country, will help restore the confidence of the players and encourage bigger teams to visit Pakistan while highlighting Pakistan's positive identity on the global stage.

The league's trophy ceremony was held at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday, which was attended by the team captains as well as the owners.

Speaking on the occasion, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said that PSL is a big event in Pakistan and we want to inform the International Cricket Council (ICC) that Pakistan can host the ICC event.

International players from all the teams have arrived in Pakistan to participate in the league and will attend the opening ceremony held at the National Stadium today.

The atmosphere of the National Stadium will be populated with pop, rock, Sufi and regional music lyrics where Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abrar ul Haq, Sajjad Ali, Sanam Marvi, Aima Baig, Abu Mohammed, Farid Ayaz and think bands will perform. ۔

350 artists will perform at the event and all four singers, Ali Azmat, Arif Lohar, Asim Azhar and Haroon, who performed the magic of the head in PSL's official song, will also attend the opening ceremony.

Defending champions Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United will compete in the inaugural match of the league after the ceremony.

So far, both teams have competed in nine league matches where Quetta Gladiators have won 5 and Islamabad United have won 4 matches.

For the fifth consecutive year, Quetta Gladiators are headed by Sarfraz Ahmed, and this edition is of the utmost importance to them as this is the first time that they are not part of the Pakistan cricket team while playing PSL.

Performance in this edition is also crucial to the future of the Sarfaraz' career as they can be part of the national team for the scheduled T20 World Cup in Australia this year.

Islamabad United, on the other hand, has placed Shadab Khan in the position of leadership and will perform leadership duties throughout the tournament for the first time in his career.

Taking a look at both teams, the two teams look very strong and a combination of local and international players.

All preparations for the match at the National Stadium in Karachi have been completed and thanks to the stadium renovation it is presenting a beautiful scene.

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The wicket of the National Stadium is being considered favourable for batting and the match is expected to rain with the big score as well as sixes.

The match is expected to start at 7pm on Pakistani time.