PSL 8 officially kicks off with glittering opening ceremony

The eighth edition of the much-awaited Pakistan Super League (PSL) kicked off Monday at the Multan Cricket Stadium with a glittering and star-studded opening ceremony.

The ceremony, which began with a half-hour delay, saw singer Aima Baig — clad in an ethereal white gown — first performing the national anthem.

Following the national anthem, music sensation Shae Gill, Asim Azhar and Farish Shafi, who performed this year’s PSL anthem Sab Sitaray Humaray, will be performing the anthem live in the ceremony.

Besides them, several other artists including the likes of Sahir Bagga will also perform in the opening ceremony.

Notably, Multan is hosting the PSL opening ceremony for the first time since the launch of the nation’s marquee league.

Speaking at the ceremony, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) President and CEO Muhammad Aurangzeb congratulated the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for organising the tournament for the eighth time.

“This is a historic first in terms of having the inaugurating match in Multan this evening,” he said. “HBL PSL has moved from strength to strength. All the stakeholders have put in a concerted effort to make this a success.”

"No matter which team wins [...] the real victory is of Pakistan," he added.

Beautiful 😍❤️@lahoreqalandars@MultanSultans#PSL8#PSL2023 pic.twitter.com/FfLNcQu94A

— Muzamil (@khaak_zaada11) February 13, 2023

PCB Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi vowed that the board would ensure that PSL matches take place in Peshawar and Quetta next year.

"PSL has given several assets to Pakistan. This has become an international brand that we can be proud of. This year [several] foreign and local players are debuting."

He noted that the tournament has given several stars to the national side, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Hasan Ali.

"Full congratulations in advance to those who will win. Let the game begin," he added.

Opening match of #HBLPSL8!

Rematch of last year's final – @MultanSultans 🆚 @lahoreqalandars #SabSitarayHumaray | #MSvLQ pic.twitter.com/tUS2Tixdam

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 13, 2023

Sahir Ali Bagga and Baig then took to the stage for their performance, getting the crowd roaring.

The performance was followed by Asim Azhar, Faris Shafi and Shae Gill performing this year’s official anthem ‘Sab Sitarey Humaray’.

The ceremony concluded with a large fireworks display.

Multan is all set for the #HBLPSL8 opening ceremony ✨#SabSitarayHumaray pic.twitter.com/bK7NtfzGB7

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 13, 2023

The first match of the tournament will be played between the Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars.

Led by Pakistan’s star wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, Multan boast a batting-heavy core of players featuring Australia’s Tim David, South African Rilee Rossouw, his compatriot David Miller and West Indies veteran Kieran Pollard.