Pakistan Super League will commence on 4th February, 2016 and the final match will be held on 23rd February, 2016. The five teams for the first season will represent five major cities of Pakistan: Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Lahore.

Islamabad United

Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Samuel Badree, Mohammad Irfan, Brad Haddin, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Sami, Khalid Latif, Babar Azam, Imran Khalid, Kamran Ghulam, Umar Amin, Sam Billings, Ruman Raees, Amad Butt, Ashar Zaidi, Saeed Ajmal, Hussain Talat, Umar Siddiq

Islamabad United has drafted some real T20 gems in the form of Andre Russell, Samuel Badree and Shane Watson in their team. The team has a great leader in Misbah-ul-Haq, who knows the Dubai conditions inside out.

Their batting line-up looks solid, with the likes of Watson and Haddin to give them a good start and Misbah to take the responsibility if things go wrong. Andre Russell, rightfully reckoned to be the most valuable player in T20s with his ability to hit long sixes, bowl the death overs and fly around catching some stunners, is expected to be a big star for the Islamabad team.

With Mohammad Irfan and Sami, even the pace attack of Islamabad looks settled, and the world knows how vicious is Saeed Ajmal on the turning tracks of Dubai. Islamabad have all the right ingredients of some new fresh talents and some very experienced lads in their team.

Karachi Kings

Squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim, Ravi Bopara, Lendl Simmons, Mohammad Amir, Bilawal Bhatti, James Vince, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nauman Anwar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Usama Mir, Sohail Khan, Mir Hamza, Safiullah Bangash, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shazaib Hasan, Fawad Alam

Leading the Karachi side is Shoaib Malik, who has recently played some good knocks for the national side. The Kings boast some good all-rounders like Shakib al Hasan, Fawad Alam and Bilawal Bhatti. Bhatti is a promising all-rounder who can bowl with significant speed and can also hit the ball a long distance.

On paper, the batting line-up may not seem great but players like Dilshan, Shakib, Lendl Simmons, Shoaib Malik, Rahim and Bopara can cause headaches for any bowling attack when they are on song. The team misses a genuine slaughterer of the ball like a Pietersen or a Gayle.

With Tanvir and Amir leading the pace battery, this team’s bowling attack looks settled and able to win matches.

Peshawar Zalmi

Squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaun Tait, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Khan, Jim Allenby, Aamer Yamin, Dawid Malan, Shahid Yousuf, Abdur Rehman, Musadiq Ahmed Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Brad Hodge, Irsarullah, Taj Wali

Possibly the most loved team of PSL?

Led by the beloved Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, this team just has the perfect composition required for T20 events.

Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Tamim Iqbal, Brad Hodge at the start, with Afridi and Sammy to finish off the bowlers in the death overs. What a batting order!

This great batting line-up is supported by a terrific bowling attack. With the likes of Shaun Tait, Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan, the pace battery looks all pumped up. Not a huge turner of the cricket ball, but accuracy and consistency does the trick for Peshawar’s spinner Abdur Rehman.

Perhaps Peshawar now has the most balanced team of PSL as well?

Quetta Gladiators

Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Kevin Pietersen, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Jason Holder, Luke Wright, Zulfiqar Babar, Umar Gul, Elton Chigumbura, Bilal Asif, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Nawaz, Saad Nasim, Mohammad Nabi, Akbar ur Rehman, Bismillah Khan, Kumar Sangakkara, Aizaz Cheema

The current vice-captain of Pakistan’s limited overs teams, Sarfaraz Ahmed is someone who can score runs at a brisk pace. Ahmed Shehzad , Luke Wright, Elton Chigumbura, and Mohammad Nabi are other good batsmen in the Quetta line-up, but the real gems of Quetta Gladiators' team are Kevin Pietersen and Kumar Sangakkara, both fresh from a very successful Big Bash League tournament. Umar Gul and Anwar Ali hold the key for Quetta in bowling, which looks a bit weak compared to others, especially now that the West Indies Cricket Board has disallowed Jason Holder from playing.

Lahore Qalandars

Squad: (captain yet to be announced) Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Shoaib Maqsood, Mustafizur Rehman, Kevon Cooper, Cameron Delport, Zafar Gohar, Hammad Azam, Zia-ul-Haq, Zohaib Khan, Azhar Ali, Naved Yasin, Adnan Rasool, Abdur Razzaq, Mukhtar Ahmed, Ehsan Adil, Imran Butt.

Lahore fans will be super excited and relieved to see one special name in their squad – Christopher Henry Gayle.

Gayle has the power to change a match in a span of a few overs with his blade. Fresh from a record fastest fifty in the BBL, he will be raring to unleash his powers in the PSL as well. With him are two other T20 gems of West Indies – Dwayne Bravo, the ultimate all-rounder, and Kevon Cooper, one of the most economical bowlers in the world of T20. Cooper’s ability to bowl in the death overs without leaking runs really gives a great impetus to any side he features in. Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal and Mohammad Rizwan also give Lahore a good depth in their batting. The Qalandars will really want Maqsood to do well as he's often compared to former Pakistan captain and batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, because of his aggressive batting style and his stature.  

Mustafizur Rehman, Ehsaan Adil, Kevon Cooper, Dwayne Bravo, Yasir Shah and Abdur Razzaq will form the bowling department of Lahore Qalandars. Talented enough? The Lahore Qalandars have a good balance in their team, provided they click together in all the departments.