Ab Khel Ke Dikha

"Ab Khel Ke Dikha"
Promotional single by Ali Zafar
LanguageUrdu
Released20 September 2015 (2015-09-20)
Recorded2015
StudioLightingale
GenreStadium anthem
Length
  • 4:34
  • 4:00 (audio remix)
  • 2:48 (music video)
LabelHBL Pakistan
SongwriterAli Zafar
ProducerAli Zafar
Pakistan Super League anthems chronology
"Ab Khel Ke Dikha"
(2015)		 "Ab Khel Jamay Ga"
(2017)

"Ab Khel Ke Dikha"[a] is a 2015 song, written and performed by Ali Zafar and released by HBL Pakistan. It served as the official anthem of the first season of the Pakistan Super League in 2016.

The anthem features a non-verbal chorus, and introduced a trumpet tune that became the league's identity in subsequent years. Zafar had previously collaborated with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for anthems in 2011 as well, and he also collaborated with the PSL in later years.

Background and release

Zafar in 2015

Previously, Ali Zafar had collaborated with the PCB for the 2011 Cricket World Cup anthems, "Jazba" and "Duniya Hai Dilwalon Ki".[2] In September 2015, it was announced that the PCB had again approached Zafar to create an anthem for the inaugural season of the PSL, running in February 2016.[3][4] The anthem was premiered by Zafar at the PSL's logo launching ceremony in Lahore on 20 September 2015, while hashtag #AbKhelKeDikha was being used on the PSL's social media accounts to promote the tournament.[5]

Zafar wrote, composed, sang, and produced the song in his recently established studio named Lightingale, and recorded a chorus of 25 male and female backing vocalists.[3][6] He said that he kept a "sort of international feel" in the song blended with "a very Pakistani flavour", so that "it can be hummed by any listener",[3] and that its lyrics reflect the "cricketers, celebrities and entertainment blending together".[7]

On 4 February 2016, the music video for the remix of song was released by HBL Pakistan, featuring synth horns and anthemic drums. Zafar then also performed at the PSL opening ceremony at Dubai International Stadium the same evening as a closing act before the fireworks.[7][8][9][10]

Reception and legacy

Upon initial release, Sami Qahar of Dawn Aurora reviewed that the song was a "weak link in the campaign" with "cliché music and lyrics".[11] Aamna Haider Isani called Zafar after his performance at the opening ceremony as "more than made up for mass appeal" in The News.[8] Manjusha Radhakrishnan wrote in Gulf News that this "infectious" anthem would likely get someone "into the spirit of the game".[7] After the tournament completed on 24 February 2016, another reviewer from Dawn Aurora Umair Kazi noted that the song "fared well" by complying "the song and dance rituals" of Pakistan, despite its music video which was filmed "around HBL landmarks and branches".[12] Rahul Aijaz noted it as "a catchy number", but did not "live up to the hype".[13]

In subsequent years, Annam Lodhi in Pakistan Today, Zohaib Ahmed Majeed in Dawn, and Rafay Mahmood in The Express Tribune appreciated that the anthem presented an IPL-inspired "trumpet" tune that became the league's identity.[14][15][16] While Majeed called it a "killer anthem" in 2018,[15] Mahmood noted in 2019 that it initially felt "annoying" just like Zafar's old song "Masty".[16]

Later in 2024, Zafar returned to the PSL and performed this anthem at the opening ceremony as well, along with his "Ab Khel Jamay Ga" and "Dil Se Jaan Laga De".[17] Journalist Arfa Feroz noted that these three were the "best PSL songs" in the legacy,[18] while Manahil Tahira wrote in The Express Tribune that these "carried the oomph" of a "typical sports anthem".[10] In 2025, Ahmer Naqvi acknowledged in Dunya Digital that Zafar had used "the power of the non-verbal chorus" and the anthem became "immediately popular".[19] In 2026, Ali A. Rizvi of The Jungle Today noted that the anthem had a "rare quality" of cricket sound rather than "a vague concept of winning", and called it a "lightning-in-a-bottle" attempt.[20]

See also

External media
Audio
audio icon "Ab Khel Ke Dikha" (Audio) on SoundCloud
audio icon "Ab Khel Ke Dikha" (Remix) on SoundCloud
Video
video icon Music video on Facebook

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Urdu: اب کھیل کے دکھا, lit. 'Show Me How You Play'[1]

References

  1. ↑ Nagraj Gollapudi (5 February 2016). "Dubai night lit bright by PSL debut". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Rafay Mahmood (1 March 2011). "World cup songs: hits and misses". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Hasan Asnsari (19 September 2015). "Grooving up the PSL". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Ab Khel K Dekha: Pakistan Super League to be launched today!". Dawn Images. 20 September 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "Pakistan Super League Anthem and Logo to Unveil in a Star Studded Musical Evening on the 20th September". The Nation. 15 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ali Zafar gifts dream house to his wife". The Express Tribune. 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Manjusha Radhakrishnan (15 September 2018). "Ali Zafar bowled over by Pakistan Super League". Gulf News. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  8. 1 2 Aamna Haider Isani (14 February 2016). ""It's Cricketainment!"". The News. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Inaugural edition of PSL kicks off with impressive show". Geo News. 4 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  10. 1 2 Manahil Tahira (15 February 2024). "'Khul Ke Khel': Is good old 'naach gaana' the homeground of PSL anthems?". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 1 December 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Sami Qahar (23 December 2015). "PSL and marketing – a decent start". Dawn Aurora. Archived from the original on 12 March 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  12. ↑ Umair Kazi (25 February 2016). "PSL ends and the winner is... Pakistan!". Dawn Aurora. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Rahul Aijaz (31 December 2016). "It's an honour to compose PSL anthem again: Ali Zafar". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  14. ↑ Annam Lodhi (5 March 2017). "PSL music has a deadline too". Pakistan Today. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  15. 1 2 Zohaib Ahmed Majeed (26 February 2018). "PSL recap: The crests and troughs of Pakistan's beloved T20 league". Dawn. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  16. 1 2 Rafay Mahmood (18 January 2019). "Fawad Khan's PSL anthem is as groovy as Hasan Ali's victory celebration". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "پی ایس ایل 9 کی افتتاحی تقریب میں علی ظفر کی دھوم" (in Urdu). Express News. 18 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  18. ↑ @ArfaSays_ (14 February 2024). "The legacy of PSL anthems by Ali Zafar" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 April 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  19. ↑ Ahmer Naqvi (27 March 2025). "Pakistan's Cricket Anthems: A Love Song by Another Name (Part 2)". Dunya Digital. Archived from the original on 27 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Ali A. Rizvi (3 April 2026). "Eleven Years of PSL Anthems: The Good, The Bad, and The Unforgivably Mediocre". The Jungle Today. Archived from the original on 26 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
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