KARACHI: The city of lights is geared up for the first match of the last eight matches of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) 2019 edition.

Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United will clash in Karachi’s National Stadium at 7pm today (Saturday).

The first 26 matches of PSL were played in the United Arab Emirates, and of the eight to be played in Pakistan, three had been planned for Lahore but will now be held in Karachi.

Foreign players, including former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, current New Zealand opener Colin Munro and West Indian stars Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Kieron Pollard, have arrived in Karachi for the domestic T20 league.

Here’s your complete guide for the match day:

Parking

Got the tickets? Ready to leave for the National Stadium? You will need to reach one of the different parking spots set up by the Karachi administration, from where the shuttle will transport you to designated points near the stadium.

If you hold tickets for any one of these enclosures: Javed Miandad, Fazal Mehmood, Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Majid Khan and Intikhab Alam, you should park at the Gharib Nawaz Football Ground parking lot located on Dalmia Road. From here, the shuttle will drop you to the designated point located in front of Bahria University, and then you will have to walk to the stadium.

If you have tickets for Naseemul Ghani, Iqbal Qasim, Mohammed Brothers, Wasim Bari, Waqar Hasan, Asif Iqbal, Wasim Akram, Quaid Enclosure and Hanif Mohammed enclosures, you should choose one of the parking points on University Road. These include Expo Centre Gate No. 1, Federal Urdu University Ground, Hakim Saeed Playground, and the ground in front of Baitul Mukaram Masjid. From here, the shuttle will take you to a designated point from where you will have to walk to the stadium.

There will be special buses to take the elderly and those with special needs to the stadium.

Make sure you carry:

Your ticket, your original CNIC, and a photocopy of the CNIC of the person whose name is mentioned on the ticket (if somebody else among your family/friends bought the ticket). Mobile phones are allowed.

Not allowed:

Any food or drinks, handbags.

Stadium gate timings

Stadium gates will open three hours prior to the match starting time. For matches starting at 7pm, this means the gates will open at 4pm.

Traffic Plan

Karachi Police recently issued a traffic plan for the PSL matches, which will be played at National Stadium from March 9.

The road from Karsaz via Hasan Square to Aga Khan Hospital gate No. 3 will remain closed for commuters.

Roads on the back of the National Stadium will be closed for the commuters; however, residents can use these routes by showing their original CNICs.

Shahrah-e-Faisal and Shahrah-i-Quaideen will remain open to traffic throughout the day.

Roads leading to the Aga Khan University Hospital and Liaquat National Hospital on Stadium Road will also remain open during the matches.