The sixth edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) had been suspended halfway due to multiple Covid-19 cases among players and officials in March.
The good news is, the rest of tournament will now be held in Abu Dhabi.
However, the tournament was plunged into uncertainty as the UAE government had gone back on its decision to give landing rights to players and officials arriving from India and South Africa.
Thankfully, the matter was resolved after after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi intervened and raised the issue with authorities in Abu Dhabi.
Karachi Kings are at the top of the table and will be looking to create history by becoming the first team to defend the title.
Their batting line-up that already boasted of Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan has been further strengthened by the addition of Kiwi talent, Martin Guptill.
They also drafted Najibullah Zadran and Sri Lankan Thisara Perera but one of the surprises of the tournament could be young all-rounder Qasim Akram who is rated highly by Wasim Akram, the President of Karachi Kings.
Captained by the proven T20 performer, Imad Wasim, Karachi’s bowling is spearheaded by the dangerous Mohammad Amir.
Another interesting selection has been the Australian left-hander Jake Weatherald who was picked up Quetta Gladiators in the replacement draft.
UAE is the backup venue option for the T20 World Cup later this year.
Weatherald believes that a good performance in the PSL can help his claims of bagging a spot in the Australian T20I squad.
Another Aussie who was picked up in the replacement draft was James Faulkner by last season’s runner-ups, Lahore Qalandars.
The Qalandars have a formidable squad with some outstanding Pakistan talent like Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Afridi.
Quetta Gladiators are at the bottom with just 2 points.
The final squads for the 6 teams are given below.