The third edition of the Pakistan Super League was officially launched at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday with typical fanfare and fervor.

As was the case last season, the trophy launch this year saw a sizeable media contingent. However, the scheduled press conference did not take place with captains restricting themselves to thanking sponsors and the Pakistan board.

This year’s edition is a special one for Pakistan board chairman Najam Sethi as the PSL has added a sixth franchise – Multan Sultans – to the roster. The Schon Group agreed to pay nearly $41 million to buy the franchise rights of the team, making them by far the most expensive team in the league.

Their investment is seen as a seal of approval on the financial prospects of the league.

“The biggest leap forward this year has been the addition of Multan Sultans. They have paid through the nose to be a part of PSL. It has been an extraordinary gesture on their part. They have shown the way forward for the seventh and the eighth teams,” Sethi said in Dubai.

The tournament, which starts in Dubai on Thursday, will see two play-off games played in Lahore with the final in Karachi.

This is another major attempt by the Pakistan establishment to get international cricket back to Pakistan on  more permanent basis.

Whether international players associated with the league decide to travel to Pakistan, and especially to Karachi, will show whether the country is ready for a greater inclusion in the international calendar.

Peshawar Zalmi captain Darren Sammy, who is an unofficial mascot of Pakistan’s reintegration process, said he hopes to not only defend the team’s title but be in Karachi when it happens.

Six trophies that will given to PSL’s top performers.

“We will try our best to defend the title. I hope the tournament grows. And when we reach Karachi, I hope that I am there with my team,” Sammy said.

Multan captain Shoaib Malik credited Sethi for ensuring the viability of the league and providing youngsters a pathway to national recognition and selection.

“I thank Mr Sethi for what he has done with PSL. It was his idea. He has given so many opportunities to our youngsters. We have seen whenever PSL happens, youngsters are knocking on the door for national selection.”

According to information provided after the conclusion of the event, the six trophies that will be given to the top performing players of the tournament arrived in a helicopter with all six captains then accompanying the trophies to the ground.