PSL 9: Match officials announced ahead of new season
Richard Illingworth returns for his seventh season
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday revealed the match officials for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9, scheduled to be held from 17 February to 18 March.
However, the match officials for the Qualifier, two eliminators and final, to be held in Karachi from 14 to 18 March, will be announced in due course.
“Four members of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires – Richard Illingworth, Chris Gaffaney, Ahsan Raza and Michael Gough – will be accompanied by Abdul Moqeet, Aleem Dar, Tariq Rasheed, Shozab Raza, Rashid Riaz, Faisal Afridi, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Asif Yaqoob, Alex Wharf, Nasir Hussain, Imran Jawed and Muhammad Asif,” the PCB said in a press release.
“Among the foreign umpires, Illingworth, who has previously officiated in six editions of the league, has served as an umpire in 48 matches in PSL. England’s Gough, who has appeared in four editions previously, has officiated 34 matches, followed by Wharf (11 matches) and Sri Lanka’s Palliyaguruge (three matches). New Zealand’s Gaffaney will make his league debut, officiating his first match between Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on 18 February.
“Roshan Mahanama, who has officiated 97 PSL matches and is also a former member of the ICC’s elite panel of match referees, will be in his ninth successive year and will lead a team of three match referees with other members being Ali Naqvi and Muhammad Javed.
“The opening match between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United in Lahore will be officiated by veteran umpire Aleem Dar and Michael Gough on the field. Tariq Rasheed will be the TV Umpire while Shozab Raza will perform the duties of reserve umpire during the game. Muhammad Javed will perform duties of match referee in the match.”
PSL 9 will be held in four cities — Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi — with the final of the event taking place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on March 18.
Like the previous edition, the PSL 9 will take place in two legs with Multan Cricket Stadium and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting 14 matches between them from February 17 to 27. The action then moves to Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium and Karachi’s National Bank Stadium, where 16 matches will be held from February 28 to March 12. The event will then move to Karachi in its entirety for the playoffs.
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