LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will stage three games in Pakistan next season, including the final in Karachi at the end of March, which will be the highest-profile game in the port city in nine years. The Pakistan Cricket Board released an expanded 34-game schedule for the third season of the tournament (it was 24 last season), which will also see the entry of a sixth franchise, Multan Sultans. The tournament will last just over a month, beginning on February 22 with defending champions Peshawar Zalmi taking on Multan.The format remains the same — all teams playing each other twice before the top four progress to qualifiers and eliminators. As before, the bulk of the games will be played in the UAE, between Sharjah and Dubai. There had been talk of using Abu Dhabi as a venue, more so after the Zayed Cricket Stadium hosted two T20s and ODIs against Sri Lanka earlier this season, but the city will miss out once again on the PSL. After the group stage matches, the first qualifier is the only one that will be played in the UAE. The two eliminators are set to be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the venue for last season’s final. All eyes, however, will be on Karachi, as it attempts to host its biggest match since it last held an international — a Test against Sri Lanka in February 2009. That was the last completed Test in Pakistan, before the attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore. There has been persistent chatter about the National Stadium in Karachi not being ready in time to host the game, though last month, PCB Chairman Najam Sethi said, “We have made a commitment to try our best to have it in Karachi.” In October, Reg Dickason, the security expert who advises the International Cricket Council and works with players association FICA, visited Karachi and met with senior security and government officials, the first step in assessing whether or not the city is ready to host high-profile games. West Indies are also scheduled to tour Pakistan in March next year for a three-match Twenty20 International series, though venues for that commitment have not yet been confirmed. PSL schedule: Feb 22: Peshawar Zalmi v Multan Sultans in Dubai. Feb 23: Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators & Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars in Dubai. Feb 24: Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi & Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars in Dubai. Feb 25: Multan Sultans v Islamabad United & Karachi Kings v Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai. Feb 26: Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars in Dubai. Feb 28: Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators in Sharjah. Mar 1: Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi in Sharjah. Mar 2: Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings & Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United in Sharjah. Mar 3: Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators & Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars in Sharjah. Mar 4: Islamabad United v Karachi Kings in Sharjah. Mar 6: Peshawar Zalmi v Multan Sultans in Dubai. Mar 7: Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators in Dubai. Mar 8: Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars & Karachi Kings v Quetta Gladiators in Dubai. Mar 9: Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars & Peshawar Zalmi v Islamabad United in Dubai. Mar 10: Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings & Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators in Dubai. Mar 11: Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars in Dubai. Mar 13: Multan Sultans v Islamabad United in Sharjah. Mar 14: Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars in Sharjah. Mar 15: Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings & Quetta Gladiators v Islamabad United in Sharjah. Mar 16: Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars & Islamabad United v Karachi Kings in Sharjah. Mar 18: Qualifier in Dubai. Mar 20: Eliminator 1 in Lahore. Mar 21: Eliminator 2 in Lahore. Mar 25: Final in Karachi.
