PSL 11 begins as Qalandars bat first against Kingsmen

The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League got under way at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, where Lahore Qalandars won the toss and chose to bat first against debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen. The fixture marked the opening contest of an expanded PSL season featuring eight teams, with matches scheduled in Lahore and Karachi.

Geo News reported that Lahore entered the season opener carrying strong momentum after ending the previous campaign on a winning run, while Hyderabad Kingsmen stepped into their first-ever PSL match. The published team lists showed Lahore fielding a line-up led by Shaheen Shah Afridi and including Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique and Haris Rauf, while Hyderabad were captained by Marnus Labuschagne and featured Saim Ayub, Kusal Perera and Riley Meredith.

The match immediately became one of the day's biggest trending stories in Pakistan as fans turned their attention to the start of the country's flagship T20 tournament and the first competitive appearance of the league's newest franchise.