The Pakistan Hockey Super League, or "The Max" also known as PHSL, is an upcoming franchise-based

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

tournament in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. It is to be organized by the

Pakistan Hockey Federation The Pakistan Hockey Federation ( ur, ) is the governing body for the sport of field hockey in Pakistan. It is affiliated with the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Management positions The current Patron-in-Chief is Prime Minister Mian Mu ...

. Its inaugural edition is slated to be held in 2022.

History

In February 2016, the

initiated preparations for a domestic hockey league, to be played from October to November 2016, according to then Secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior. The former Olympian believed development and growth of young Pakistani hockey players would rely on the success of the league, and this would help Pakistan regain its historic aura as a hockey-playing nation. An autonomous board for the league was established in 2016. PHF President Khalid Sajjad Khokhar mentioned that the League would be sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), adding that the PHF was in touch with the world hockey governing body to avoid any clash with international events. The league was postponed after the government of Punjab refused to give an NOC to host the event in 2016. In December 2017, it was announced that the PHSL was given an NOC. The inaugural season was slated to begin in April 2018, but was postponed to July 2018 due to the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

's participation in the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

, and the forthcoming month of

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. It was further pushed back to 12 to 19 January 2019. Around a dozen international players (from

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Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

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, and

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) were expected to play, with all matches taking place in Lahore. However, due to a lack of funds, the tournament was postponed to 15 to 25 March 2019 . More delays meant that the tournament could not take place for at least the next three years. On 11 January 2022, the

announced that the inaugural edition of the PHSL would take place in 2022.

Teams

Six teams have been proposed for the league in its inaugural season. Details suggest a model that closely mimics that of the successful

Pakistan Super League The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested during February and March of every year by six teams representing six cities of Pakistan. The league was founded on 9 September 2015 with five teams by the Paki ...

, whereby each team would be a franchise. The team names were revealed on 24 December 2018.

Rules and regulations

International players are eligible to compete in the tournament, with each team able to field two of them in a match. Moreover, an maximum age limit of 25 years for all players is in effect.

References

External links

* {{Field hockey leagues Field hockey leagues in Asia Field hockey competitions in Pakistan Professional sports leagues in Pakistan 2016 establishments in Pakistan

History

Teams

Rules and regulations

See also

References

External links