KARACHI: A chance to win their first Pakistan Super League cricket title returns for Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars when the playoffs resume on Saturday after an eight-month pandemic-enforced break.
The fourth team, Peshawar Zalmi, was the 2017 champion.
Karachi plays Multan in the first qualifier, with the winner advancing to the final. The loser will have a second chance to reach the final by playing the winner of the eliminator on Saturday between Lahore and Peshawar.
The fifth PSL was postponed on March 17 after England batsman Alex Hales was suspected of contracting COVID-19 just an hour before the playoffs. Hales is back for Karachi, but not two of his foreign teammates, the West Indies' Kieron Pollard and England's Chris Jordan.
They are touring with their national teams and have been replaced by South African Wayne Parnell and West Indian Sherfane Rutherford. They will complement a team already boasting Pakistan captain Babar Azam and fast bowler Mohammad Amir.
Multan lost England's James Vince and Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah after they tested positive in predeparture COVID-19 tests. Mahmudullah had replaced Moeen Ali, who was picked for England's tour of South Africa.
But Multan has roped in English top-order batsmen Adam Lyth and Joe Denly along with Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe.
Lahore has retained Australian batsman Ben Dunk, who has 266 runs at an average of 53.20 with a league-leading 23 sixes, and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who tops the bowling chart with 13 wickets in nine matches at 18.92.
Peshawar has replaced an unavailable Darren Sammy with South Africa’s Faf du Plessis, who will be making his PSL debut. Du Plessis scored more than 400 runs for Chennai Super Kings in the recent Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan Super League playoffs resume after 8-month delay
https://arab.news/8539u
Pakistan Super League playoffs resume after 8-month delay
- Karachi plays Multan in the first qualifier, with the winner advancing to the final
- Peshawar has replaced Darren Sammy with South Africa’s Faf du Plessis, who will be making his PSL debutd
Pakistan urges pilgrims to complete Saudi biometrics as Hajj preparations gain pace
- Government warns pilgrims biometric verification is required for Hajj visas
- Step follows tighter oversight after last year’s Hajj travel disruptions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Friday urged aspiring pilgrims to complete mandatory Saudi biometric verification for Hajj visas, as preparations for the 2026 pilgrimage gather pace following stricter oversight of the Hajj process.
The announcement comes only a day after Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said regulations for private Hajj operators had been tightened, reducing their quota following widespread complaints last year, when tens of thousands of pilgrims were unable to travel under the private Hajj scheme.
“Saudi biometric verification is mandatory for the issuance of Hajj visas,” the Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement, urging pilgrims to complete the process promptly to avoid delays.
“Hajj pilgrims should complete their biometric verification at home using the ‘Saudi Visa Bio’ app as soon as possible,” it added.
The statement said the pilgrims who were unable to complete biometric verification through the mobile application should visit designated Saudi Tasheer centers before Feb. 8, adding that details of the centers were available on Pakistan’s official Hajj mobile application.
Pakistan has been steadily implementing digital and procedural requirements for pilgrims ahead of Hajj 2026, including mandatory training sessions, biometric checks and greater use of mobile applications, as part of efforts to reduce mismanagement.
Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026, with the majority of seats reserved under the government scheme and the remainder allocated to private tour operators.
