Foreign players continued to arrive in Pakistan ahead of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The PSL 8 will kick off at the Multan Cricket Stadium when defending champions Lahore Qalandars take on Multan Sultans in the first match after the opening ceremony today (Monday).
Ahead of the PSL 8, several cricketers landed in Pakistan on Monday.
Two players of Multan Sultans were the first to arrive in Pakistan. South Africa's David Miller and West Indies Akeal Hossain joined the side in Multan.
Later, Akeal's compatriot and champion T20 cricketer Kieron Pollard, also joined the Sultans' squad.
Zimbabwe's star all-rounder Sikandar Raza also reached Multan ahead of the PSL opener against Multan Sultans. He will be available for selection in the first match.
Apart from the Pakistan-origin Raza, David Wiese, Shai Hope, and Liam Dawson joined the defending champions.
The star players were welcomed by Lahore Qalandars' COO and team manager Sameen Rana, who was also accompanied by pacer Haris Rauf.
Meanwhile, Peshawar Zalmi welcomed Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Australia's Peter Hatzoglou today.
This year's PSL is going to be more exciting than the previous editions because many of the renowned stars of the shortest format of the game would be participating in the event.
However, several foreign cricketers will join their respective sides later in the tournament due to their international duty and prior commitments.
Lahore Qalandars will attempt to become the first side to win back-to-back titles; meanwhile Islamabad United will aim to become the most successful side by lifting the trophy thrice.
Rawalpindi will stage 11 fixtures, Karachi and Lahore will host nine matches each, whereas Multan will have five home games.
Afternoon matches will start at 2 pm local time, meanwhile, evening matches in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi will start at 7 pm. Evening matches in Multan will begin at 6 pm except for the tournament opener, which will commence at 8 pm.
It is worth mentioning here that the winner will not only lift the Supernova Trophy but will also collect a cheque of Rs120m, while the runners-up will receive a cheque of Rs48m.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.