Karachi March 23 (TNS): Karachi, the city of lights and the economic powerhouse of the country will host the eagerly awaited final on Sunday among two titans of the PSL Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi.
Both of these franchises will be looking to retain the PSL crown for the second time. Peshawar Zalmi who were the champions last season and Islamabad United who are the inaugural champions of the competition will be looking to taste the second bite of the cherry on Sunday.
Peshawar will have an undeniable support and will have the upper hand as far as the crowd is concerned, as the “Yellow Storm” is the most popular franchise in the country.
However Islamabad United look more balanced and settled on paper, but it all depends on who bears the pressure on the given day and who shows the nerves of steel required to win such a huge contest.
Islamabad United have suffered defeat just once in their last eight league games after a stuttering start to the campaign.
Peshawar Zalmi is on a 4 game winning streak, after a topsy-turvy beginning to their season.
The devastating form of Kamran Akmal has surged his team into the final of the competition. On the other side Luke Ronchi’s scintillating form has got his team flying, which means it will be a clash between the two power-hitters and both of these two batsman will play a key role for their respective teams in the final.
Peshawar Zalmi players arrived in Karachi amid tight security on Thursday night.
Islamabad United squad will reach the city on Friday night for the contest.
Both teams are well balanced on paper if one has the passionate leader in Darren Sammy the other has the cool head of Misbah. If one has the fiery spells of Wahab Riaz, the other has the experience of M.Sami.
It will be a dramatic and mouthwatering contest on Sunday and there is no doubt that both teams deserve to be there.
Security arrangements:
The Karachi police and Rangers have been rehearsing their drills related to security for the PSL final for weeks.
#HumZalmi are off to Karachi #pzvsiu pic.twitter.com/SfqNiFxvxS
— Wahab Riaz (@WahabViki) March 22, 2018
Approximately 8,500 police and Rangers’ personnel will be deployed to provide security for the final. The police will secure the stadium from outside whereas Rangers will be deployed inside the stadium.
A shuttle service will also be run to drop spectators from the stadium to three allocated drop zones.
Before the match, tickets will be verified by the PCB staff deployed at the security clearance points. The spectators will go through a three-tier security, which will roughly take up to 4 hours.
The South Zone Karachi police will remain on duty at the hotel where the players stay.
Significance of the Final.
The final in Karachi is not just a game but a first step to bring international cricket back to Pakistan of which the nation has been deprived of four the last nine years. It will work as a gateway for sending the message to the world that Pakistan is a peaceful country and it will work as a catalyst for the West Indies series which will commence from 1st April in Pakistan. This match is surely make-or-break for Pakistan not only on cricket affairs but also on all fronts. The loving game is surely coming back home.by shayan obaid
