Pakistan Super League has returned to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after a three-year gap. One of the four venues which have been allotted matches in the ongoing eighth season of the PSL, Rawalpindi will be hosting the first of its 11 matches within 12 days tonight.
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Since last hosting a T20I in 2020, the city has only hosted National T20 Cup matches in both 2021 and 2022. With citizens set to get enough opportunities of watching PSL 8 matches in Rawalpindi, expect jam-packed stadiums in all the upcoming matches.
Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings will lock horns in the first PSL 2023 match at this venue on Wednesday. Readers must note that Zalmi will play a maximum of six matches here followed by Islamabad United (5), Kings (4), Quetta Gladiators (4), Multan Sultans (3) and Lahore Qalandars (2).
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium T20 records
Highest T20 run-scorers at this stadium are Kamran Akmal (1,084), Babar Azam (997), Ahmed Shehzad (984), Sohaib Maqsood (947) and Khurram Manzoor (907). Since Akmal, Shehzad and Manzoor aren’t part of PSL 2023 team squads, best batters here among active cricketers are:
| Batter | Matches | Runs | Highest | Average | SR | 100 | 50 |
| Babar Azam | 25 | 997 | 105 | 58.65 | 132.93 | 1 | 9 |
| Sohaib Maqsood | 33 | 947 | 87 | 31.57 | 150.08 | 0 | 7 |
| Shoaib Malik | 30 | 820 | 85 | 48.24 | 140.65 | 0 | 8 |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed | 41 | 777 | 62* | 29.88 | 145.23 | 0 | 2 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 35 | 756 | 77 | 27 | 129.23 | 0 | 6 |
Highest wicket-takers in Rawalpindi T20s are Wahab Riaz (52), Anwar Ali (40), Sohail Khan (38), Imran Khan (38) and Rumman Raees (33). It is noteworthy that both the Khans aren’t playing Pakistan Super League 8.
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | SR |
| Wahab Riaz | 41 | 52 | 19.04 | 6.91 | 16.54 |
| Anwar Ali | 41 | 40 | 27.55 | 8.37 | 19.75 |
| Rumman Raees | 33 | 33 | 25.21 | 7.61 | 19.88 |
| Agha Salman | 23 | 27 | 14.11 | 6.39 | 13.26 |
| Umaid Asif | 21 | 25 | 22.56 | 7.83 | 17.28 |
Highest innings totals in Rawalpindi T20s
| Score | Overs | Team | Opposition | Year |
| 221/1 | 20 | Lahore Blues | FATA | 2017 |
| 221/4 | 20 | Sindh | Northern | 2020 |
| 219/6 | 20 | FATA | Karachi Whites | 2017 |
| 217/8 | 19.4 | Southern Punjab | Sindh | 2020 |
| 216/3 | 20 | Sindh | Southern Punjab | 2020 |
As far as the highest successful T20 run-chases at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium are concerned, the above mentioned fourth-highest innings total is a record for the same. A match-winning 54-ball 127-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Khushdil Shah (100) and Hussain Talat (62) had played a pivotal role in Southern Punjab sealing a 217-run chase with a couple of remaining in the match.
