Islamabad United won the Pakistan Super League last year. AFP
Islamabad United won the Pakistan Super League last year. AFP
Islamabad United won the Pakistan Super League last year. AFP
Islamabad United won the Pakistan Super League last year. AFP

PSL 2025: Pakistan cricket hits reset button after period of turmoil


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These are interesting times in Pakistan, to say the least. There was a time when chaos was one of the by-products of Pakistan’s dynamic system, regularly producing exceptional cricket after periods of unrest.

But now, chaos has made way for pandemonium. And that can be seen in the fortunes of the national team and at various levels around it.

The last few years have been particularly tumultuous. The national team has seen results go from bad to worse across formats. They fell early in the last three major ICC tournaments, endured embarrassing defeats to non-Test playing nations and also failed to win a single match in their ‘home’ Champions Trophy tournament.

The team changed captains and board management on almost a quarterly basis, resulting in a period of widespread uncertainty.

After a forgettable Champions Trophy, which ostensibly failed to infuse life into the system as India held all their matches in the UAE including the final, Pakistan were then thrashed by a second-string New Zealand team in the subsequent T20 and ODI series.

Which brings us to the 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League that begins on Friday amid one of the most sensitive periods in modern Pakistan cricket history.

Unrest in PSL camp

All is not well among the stakeholders of the league. On a recent podcast, Multan Sultans team owner Ali Tareen did not hold back as he criticised various aspects of the tournament and board management.

“How is PSL 10 bigger and better? I am tired of these hollow words from the PCB. What exactly are we doing differently to make it the best? Someone explain it. They claim it will be bigger while repeating the same things as last year,” Tareen said on the UltraEdge podcast by CrickWick.

He also stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board had still not laid out plans for the future with regards to expansion, foreign investment and other critical issues.

His sharp criticism was not well received, with Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal sharing his disappointment in the manner in which a PSL team owner openly criticised the league.

“PSL is Pakistan’s pride, a product which has made stars. Salman Naseer [CEO PSL] and the PCB team are giving their all to uplift PSL. Instead of negativity and denunciation of the league, us as team owners must step up and back their efforts. PSL is more than cricket. It’s a made-in-Pakistan success story. Every stakeholder, including Ali Tareen, benefits from its growth. So let’s protect what we’ve built,” Iqbal said in a statement.

With plans of expanding the league to eight teams, the discontent among at least one of the existing team owners is not great news.

PSL v IPL

The other big flash point this time is the timing of the league – right in the middle of the Indian Premier League. While every other franchise league avoids the two-month window of the IPL, the PSL was left with no choice as the country hosted a major tournament (Champions Trophy) earlier in the year and the January-February window is already cramped in the international calendar.

Having the PSL during the IPL means Pakistan will have to pull all its weight to get the best available talent and eyeballs of the wider cricketing world. However, there is a constant fear of overseas players leaving the PSL and joining the Indian league in case of a late call-up, as had happened with South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch who joined Mumbai Indians’ extended franchise family as a late replacement.

Still, playing during the IPL means the PSL can drop all pretence and work on their own plan and calendar, instead of compromising according to the machinations of other tournaments.

Time for a breather

As far as the players are concerned, the PSL could not have come at a better time. The international players have been battered into submission after successive setbacks home and away. Stars like Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have seen their popularity diminish to a degree, which is to be a expected when you are part of the team that is losing constantly.

A month of high-quality franchise cricket at home might not fix any long-term issues, but will at least allow the players to enjoy cricket once again, get some confidence and rhythm back.

These are good cricketers and Pakistan are not as bad as their recent performances suggest. Maybe the PSL can show them just that.

Also, Pakistan can also focus all their energies on getting their T20 cricket in order and finding the right set of players ahead of the 20-over World Cup that takes places early next year in India and Sri Lanka.

Short-term let permits explained

Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.

Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.

There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.

Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Company%20profile%20
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Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle

Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

If you go

The flights 

Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.

The trip

The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore  offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.

The hotel

There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

Types of bank fraud

1) Phishing

Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

2) Smishing

The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

3) Vishing

The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

4) SIM swap

Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

5) Identity theft

Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

6) Prize scams

Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)

Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)

Lazio v Napoli (9pm)

Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)

Sunday

Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)

Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)

Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)

Torino v Bologna (6pm)

Verona v Genoa (9pm)

Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)

Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)

 

 

Honeymoonish
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Updated: April 10, 2025, 4:00 AM`