The stage is set for the country's marquee tournament -- the Pakistan Super League (PSL) -- whose eighth edition will explode into action at Multan from February 13.

The franchises have already started training and playing intra-squad games at Karachi and Multan centres which will host the initial phase of the six-team league before the action shifts to Rawalpindi and Lahore.

Rawalpindi this year will have the major hosting share of 12 matches with Lahore and Karachi to host nine each and Multan to stage five. It's a fine step from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to expand the league.

The league already had a prelude in the shape of a major exhibition game on February 5 at Bugti Stadium Quetta between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators which attracted a huge crowd. This will help Quetta to host PSL matches in future. The civil and military administration did a fine job to conduct the exhibition game which saw Iftikhar Ahmed hitting Wahab Riaz for six successive sixes in an over.

The groundsmen have done a tremendous job and have developed a super, lush green outfield at National Stadium Karachi. It looks like a carpet and can be compared with the best international venues' outfields.

In Multan the action will begin on February 13 with the defending champions Lahore Qalandars taking on former champions Multan Sultans.

On February 14, Peshawar Zalmi will take on Karachi Kings at the National Stadium.

Zalmi have already been joined by their head coach Darren Sammy. Kamran Akmal, who has been shouldered the selection responsibilities by the PCB, will be missed in the season. Kamran, who has officially now retired, is busy working as a batting consultant with Zalmi during their pre-season camp.

Zalmi will be led by Babar Azam, who did not have impressive stints as the leader for his previous franchise Karachi Kings.

Zalmi, also former champions, have picked some foreign players including Rovman Powell, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jimmy Neesham.

Besides Babar, who is expected to leave a huge impact as a leader as Inzamam-ul-Haq, Zalmi president, also hoped the other day, Zalmi have some solid local players, including former skipper and now Punjab interim sports minister Wahab Riaz, Arshad Iqbal, Danish Aziz, Haris Sohail, stumper Mohammad Haris, Amir Jamal and Usman Qadir.

Two-time champions Islamabad United will, as usual, be led by Shadab Khan. They will have the assistance of Alex Hales, Rehmanullah Gurbaz, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Moeen Ali and Gus Atkinson. Their some solid local recruits are their skipper Shadab, Asif Ali, Azam Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Hasan Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Waseem Junior, Faheem Ashraf, Rumman Raees, Abrar Ahmad, Mubasir Khan and Zeeshan Zameer.

United's head coach Azhar Mahmood is happy that they have been able to constitute a very solid team, which has all bases covered. He said that they desire to win the trophy for the third time. He said that they will have a huge advantage of playing at home in Rawalpindi where his side will stay calm at one place for a few days to play in their home conditions.

Karachi Kings have also started their training here at the National Stadium with full force under their coach Johan Botha. The Imad Wasim-led team have South African leggie Imran Tahir, Mathew Wade of Australia, James Fuller, James Vince, Andrew Tye (arrived Saturday) and Tabriz Shamsi who is in the supplementary category.

Kings' local resources, besides Imad, are Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sharjeel Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Test pacer Mohammad Amir, Mir Hamza, Aamer Yamin, Qasim Akram and Mohammad Umar.

Lahore Qalandars on Friday moved to Multan under their captain Shaheen Afridi who is fully recovered now. Dawid Wiese, Liam Dawson, Sikandar Raza, Afghan leggie Rashid Khan, Harry Brook and Jordan Cox are their foreign recruits. Fakhar Zaman will be the key in top order with Abdullah Shafiq and Kamran Ghulam expected to play a key role in batting. Hussain Talat, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Bilbar Hussain and Zaman Khan are part of their strong bowling line-up which also has leggie Rashid Khan as earlier mentioned.

Multan Sultans will as usual be led by Mohammad Rizwan who is in a sublime form these days. They have been able to form a good team which carries the hard-hitting South African David Miller, Rilee Rossouw, Akeal Hosein, English spinner Adil Rashid, Josh Little and Singapore hard-hitting batsman Tim David who will join the squad on March 3. Rizwan's key local charges are Khushdil Shah, Shan Masood, Shahnawaz Dahani, Anwar Ali, Usama Mir and Sameen Gul.

Quetta Gladiators will be led by Sarfaraz Ahmed who recently had a fine series with the bat, hitting one century and three fifties in two home Tests -- he had returned to Test cricket after long four years.

Gladiators, be coached by Moin Khan, will have the support of Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, Will Smeed, Odean Smith, Wanindu Hasaranga and Naveen-ul-Haq.

They also have hard-hitting batsman Iftikhar Ahmed, Ahsan Ali and Umar Akmal. Naseem Shah will spearhead the bowlers, including Mohammad Hasnain, Umaid Asif and Mohammad Nawaz.

Gladiators coach Moin Khan said that he wants his charges to play fearless cricket. He said that Gladiators have developed a very fine atmosphere and the brigade is like a family. He expects his captain Sarfaraz to carry his confidence which he has regained during the home Test series against New Zealand into the PSL 8.

Keeping in view the balanced sides all franchises have got, tough battles are on the cards during the next one month.

The other day a new trophy was unveiled at Lahore's Shalimar Gardens.

The 24 karat trophy, named as Supernova Trophy, is studded with 9,907 sparkling zircon stones on its three pillars which identify the national team's motto of unity, passion and strength.

Three members of the ICC's elite panel of umpires - Aleem Dar, Richard Illingworth and Michael Gough - will officiate the matches along with Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob, Rashid Riaz, Faisal Khan Afridi, Martin Saggers, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Alex Wharf and Shozab Raza. They will be supported by Muhammad Asif, Nasir Hussain and Tariq Rasheed, who will be involved in the fourth umpire's role.