LAHORE: The HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) X will start on April 11 when defending champions Islamabad United take on Lahore Q alandars at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, it was announced on Friday.

The six-team franchise event, which will continue till May 18, will feature 34 matches. Lahore`s Gaddafi Stadium will host 13 matches, including the two Eliminators and the final.

Cricket will also return to Peshawar during the upcoming edition of PSL and an exhibition match will be played on April 8 in Peshawar. The teams of the match will be confirmed in due course.

The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will stage 11 matches of the event, including Qualifier 1 on May 13.

Karachi`s National Bank Stadium and the Multan Cricket Stadium will host five matches each.

Karachi Kings, the winners of the leagues fifth edition, begin their campaign on April 12 in their own backyard against runners-up of the last edition, Multan Sultans.

Multan Sultans, the winners of the sixth edition, face Lahore Q alandars on April 22, which will be the first PSL X match to be hosted by Multan Cricket Stadium.

The newly-constructed Gaddafi Stadium will welcome the PSL action on April 24 with home sideQalandars, who clinched the seventh and eighth editions, taking on Peshawar Zalmi.

Zalmi, the 2017 PSL champions, will play their five matches at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while the winners of the fourth edition, Quetta Gladiators will play five games at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Salman Naseer, the PSL chief executive officer, said, `We are thrilled to officially announce the schedule for the historic 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League.

Over the past decade, the PSL has grown into a globally recognised tournament, showcasing the best of Pakistan`s cricketing talent.

`The fans in this years tournament will not only see high-profile international cricketers but will also witness 34 high-octane matches across four major cities Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.

`As part of our commitment to expanding the reach of the PSL, we are delighted to host an exhibition match in Peshawar before the start of the tournament, which is a significant step in bringing top-tier cricket to Peshawar, a city with a deeprooted love for the game,` Salman added.

PSL X schedule: April 11: Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi April 12: Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators, Rawalpindi; Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans, Karachi April 13: Quetta Gladiators vs LahoreQalandars, Rawalpindi April 14: Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi, Rawalpindi April 15: Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars, Karachi April 16: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans, Rawalpindi April 18: Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators, Karachi April 19: Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans, Rawalpindi April 20: Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United, Karachi April 21: Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi April 22: Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars, Multan April 23: Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United, Multan April 24: Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi, Lahore April 25: Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings, Lahore April 26: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans, Lahore April 27: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi, Lahore April 29: Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans, Lahore April 30: Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United, Lahore May 1: Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings, Multan; Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators, Lahore May 2: Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United, Lahore May 3: Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United, Lahore May 4: Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings, Lahore May 5: Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi, Multan May 7: Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators, Rawalpindi May 8: Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings, Rawalpindi May 9: Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi May 10: Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators, Multan; Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings, Rawalpindi May 13: Qualifier 1, Rawalpindi May 14: Eliminator 1, Lahore May 16: Eliminator 2, Lahore May 18: Final, Lahore.-APP