LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday announced match officials for the seventh edition of HBL Pakistan Super League 2022, which will be held in Karachi and Lahore from 27 January to 27 February.
According to a statement issued by the cricket board, ICC’s Chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle will make his HBL Pakistan Super League debut this year.
Madugalle played 21 Tests and 63 ODIs for Sri Lanka from 1979 to 1988 and has refereed in 125 Twenty20 Internationals. This is in addition to the 201 Tests and 370 ODIs he has refereed since joining the ICC’s elite panel of match referees in 1993.
Madugalle’s first match in the tournament will be the high-profile clash between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, which will be held in Karachi on Sunday, 30 January.
For this match, Madugalle will lead the Playing Control Team, which will comprise Richard Illingworth and Michael Gough (both on-field umpires), Faisal Afridi (third umpire) and Imran Jawed (fourth umpire).
“Madugalle will be involved in nine of the 30 preliminary round matches and his presence is expected to help and assist Pakistan’s emerging umpires and match referees,” the statement added. He will be joined by his former teammate Roshan Mahanama, who has previously refereed in the HBL PSL.
Mahanama will also referee in nine matches, including the 27 January tournament opener between Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans. Aleem Dar and Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, while Ahsan Raza will be the third umpire and Imran Jawed as fourth umpire.
The other three event match referees will be Ali Naqvi, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Javed Malik from the PCB’s elite panel of match referees.
Apart from Aleem Dar, Michael Gough and Richard Illingworth of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires, local umpires to share umpiring responsibilities include Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Khan Afridi, Imtiaz Iqbal, Imran Jawed, Nasir Hussain, Rashid Riaz, Shozab Raza and Waleed Yaqub. All are members of the PCB’s elite panel of umpires.
Match referees (5): Ali Naqvi, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Javed Malik, Ranjan Madugalle and Roshan Mahanama.
Umpires (12) – Ahsan Raza, Aleem Dar, Asif Yaqoob, Faisal Khan Afridi, Imtiaz Iqbal, Imran Jawed, Michael Gough, Nasir Hussain, Rashid Riaz, Richard Illingworth, Shozab Raza and Waleed Yaqub.
Umpire and match referee appointments for the following play-offs will be announced closer to match (all matches to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium):
23 Feb – Qualifier (1 vs 2)
24 Feb – Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4)
25 Feb – Eliminator 2 (Loser Qualifier 1 vs Winner Eliminator 1)
27 Feb – (Qualifier v Eliminator 2) Final
