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We are extremely excited about the upcoming opening ceremony of the 2017 HBL Pakistan Super League in which last year’s top teams, Islamabad United and Peshawer Zalmi will be playing each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Something Haute team spent the day catching up with cricketers and musicians and superstars as we attended the press conference at the stadium and we discovered a few things (despite the management’s tight lip) about what we should be looking forward to tomorrow.

1. Cricketers galore

Whether you’re an ardent fan of cricket or not, you absolutely cannot deny the charm and class of the sport. It’s on a whole new level because the exposure and fan following all over the world is massive. Cricket has a huge global audience which is why cricketers are celebrities in their own rights. Also, the Pakistan Cricket Board has managed to rope in top cricketers from all over the world such as Shane Watson, Kumar Sangakkara, Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayavardhana, Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy amongst others, so it will be an incredible platform to see Pakistani cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar and Kamran Akmal and Sarfaraz Ahmed, rubbing shoulders with the best of the best in front of thousands of fans cheering them on.

2. Mr.Boombastic

As you all may know, Shaggy AKA Mr.Boombastic will be taking the stage tonight. We don’t know what he’ll be performing or which of his hit songs he’ll be singing, but we got a sneak peek at the conference regarding what’s in store for us and let’s just say, Shaggy will be bringing his best foot forward!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQP_SpVBKwK/?taken-by=somethinghauteofficial&hl=en

3. Ali Zafar’s charm

Ali Zafar is one of our favourite celebrities for the sole reason that he has such an endearing personality in reel and real life. He breaks the ice no matter what stage he’s on and always appears down to earth. It also helps that his song ‘Ab Khel Jamay Ga‘ which is the official anthem for HBL PSL this year is catchy, upbeat and probably the best song to have come out this entire season. Seeing Ali Zafar on stage alongside Shaggy as well as another Pakistani superstar, Shehzad Roy, is really going to be one of most hotly anticipated moments of the ceremony.

4. Fahad Mustafa’s hosting abilities

When we met Fahad Mustafa at the airport and asked about how he’ll be hosting the show, he said he had no idea what he’s going to do but after attending the press conference and learning about the secrecy around the actual itinerary of the evening, we’re thinking that either it was a clever way of answering the question so that he doesn’t reveal anything about the show, or he genuinely didn’t know what he’s going to do. Regardless, everyone knows that Fahad can hold his own in front of massive crowds thanks to his experience with Jeeto Pakistan. But a crowd as big as the PSL? Will he be just as lively and energetic as he usually is? We’ll find out tonight.

5. Star power

No show is complete without it’s glittering stars which is why some of Pakistan’s biggest stars are flying down to attend the show. We’re not sure how many of them will actually turn up (you never know, till last minute) but buzz has it that Shaan, Fawad Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Mahira Khan, Momina Mustehsan and Bilal Ashraf will be in the stadium supporting their teams. Watch this space for updates.

Manal Faheem Khan

The author is Contributing Editor at Something Haute who has studied film and journalism from SZABIST. Will be found at the gym if not in the office.