Sindh Premier League

Sindh Premier League
Countries Pakistan
FormatT20
First edition2024
Number of teams6
Websitewww.spl20.com
2024 Sindh Premier League

Sindh Premier League (Sindhi: سنڌ پريميئر ليگ‎; Urdu: سندھ پریمیئر لیگ; abbreviated as SPL) is a professional Twenty20 league contested by six teams representing six cities of Sindh province. It was launched in 2023.[1][2][3]

History

Establishment

In June 2022, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, the provincial minister of local government in an effort to promote and develop[4][5] cricket in Sindh,[5] announced that there would be a domestic cricket team for Sindh soon inspired by the Kashmiri counterpart.[6] and soon in March of the next year, a launching ceremony was held in auditorium of Sindh Assembly and the guests included Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq. The first season of the league will be played in Karachi.[7] In the same month of march the league was officially launched and finalized, The launch ceremony was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Sindh[8] in Karachi[9] and attended by dignitaries from professions, including the provincial ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon and Saeed Ghani, Advisor Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab, and former captain of Pakistan cricket team Sarfraz Ahmed and various others.[10] Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi announced to be its first brand ambassador.[8]

The league is said to commence from September 19 of 2023.[11][12][13]

Teams

There were originally seven teams consisting the league.

Team City Founded
Karachi Ghazis[14] Karachi 2023
Hyderabad Bahadurs Hyderabad 2023
Sukkur Patriots Sukkur 2023
Larkana Challengers Larkana 2023
Benazirabad Lals Benazirabad 2023
Mirpurkhaas Tigers Mirpurkhas 2023
Khairpur Royals(squad not announced)[15] Khairpur 2023

Broadcasting

The league is set to be broadcast on its official YouTube channel.[8]

Criticism

The league came under severe criticism for not having sufficient presence of Sindhi players. Several journalists noted that the league was intended to promote Sindhi players but majority of the team squads did not have any Sindhi players. A journalist also pointed out that Mirpurkhaas Tigers did not have a single player that belonged to the city of Mirpurkhaas.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Sindh Premier League launched". The Express Tribune. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  2. ^ Web Desk (2 March 2023). "Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq launched Sindh Premier League". BolNews.pk. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  3. ^ Essa, Sheroz (2023-03-02). "Razzaq & Afridi Launched Sindh Premier League With Six Franchises". Parhlo. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  4. ^ Web Desk (18 June 2023). "Miandad says Pak should refuse to play in India unless it comes here". www.24newshd.tv. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  5. ^ a b Web Desk (2023-06-19). "SPL to bring out young talent: minister". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. ^ Web Desk (8 June 2022). "Sindh Premier League on the cards: Nasir Hussain Shah". PakistanToday.pk. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Afridi, Razzaq launch Sindh Premier League". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  8. ^ a b c d Staff Report (2023-03-21). "Sindh Premier League launched by CM". Minute Mirror. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  9. ^ "CM Sindh Shah launches province's first-ever cricket league". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  10. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (2023-03-22). "Sindh Premier League launched". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  11. ^ "Sindh Premier League will commence on September 19: announces Nasir Hussain Shah". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  12. ^ "Sindh Premier League set to kick off from Sep 19". Times of Karachi. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  13. ^ Web Desk (14 July 2023). "Nasir Hussain Shah announces start date for Sindh Premier League". Bol News. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  14. ^ "UPDATE: Ghazis are now @khigladiators 💪🛡️ #SPL #SindhPremierLeague #AbKhelaySindh | By Sindh Premier League | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  15. ^ "Introducing Khairpur Royals! Prepare for a regal cricketing journey! 🦁🌟 #SPL #SindhPremierLeague #AbKhelaySindh | By Sindh Premier League | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.