ISLAMABAD — Top cricketers from England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have agreed to play in the first Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 tournament next year in the United Arab Emirates.



The Pakistan Cricket Board said Thursday it will organize the PSL in Dubai and Sharjah between Feb. 4-24, with five teams competing.



"Some of the big names who have consented to play the PSL include Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Luke Wright, Shakib Al Hassan, Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine and Angelo Mathews," the PCB said in a statement.



Pakistan has been trying to organize its first Twenty20 league for the last two years and had also shortlisted Doha, Qatar, as the venue for the event before finally getting the stadiums in two major cities in the UAE.



"The PSL will have a total of 24 matches which will be played over a 21-day period," the release said, apparently shifting the event from Doha due to a lack of facilities in the Qatari capital.



The PCB said it had already floated tenders for broadcasters and producers and will also open tenders for sponsors of the event in the second week of October.



"Franchise owners will be inducted between mid to end November, after which the foreign and local players will be drafted and teams constituted," said Najam Sethi, chairman of the governing council of the PSL.



The PCB has put a cap of $1 million for each team to draft its players and coaches for the PSL, which carries total prize money of $1 million. "There is a pool of top coaches also from which franchise owners will be able to pick and choose," Sethi said. — Agencies