Twitter divided over PSL 2023 opening ceremony

The much-anticipated opening ceremony of the latest season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) finally took place in Multan on Monday.

Fans flocked to the stadium to witness the start of the tournament which Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi had declared to be “bigger and better” than the preceding series.

The ceremony which lasted less than an hour had mixed reviews on Twitter, with some fans blown over by the magnanimous scale of the event while others seemed rather unimpressed.

'Best opening ceremony'

One user took to the microblogging platform and wrote: “One of the best opening ceremony in the history of PSL.”

Another user referred to the ceremony as “beautiful”, writing: “some beautiful glimpse of PSL opening ceremony.”

Others noted that the stadium was full of eager spectators and devote fans of cricket. One user said: “Amazing scenes at Multan Cricket Stadium as PSL opening ceremony kicks off. Stands are almost full with crowd while the venue is buzzing at the moment.”

Yet another Twitter user commented on the augmented reality (AG) and virtual reality (VR) setup arranged for the ceremony, noting: “Ceremony of over. One of the best opening ceremony of PSL. The fireworks, AR and VR technology is super awesome. Thank You [PCB]. Pakistan Zindabad.”

Some fans were so impressed that they immediately compared the ceremony to that of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Another posted: “Hello Neighbours, Are you watching this?”

Those unimpressed

However, not all fans seemed impressed by the extravagance and splendour of the event. Many users took to the platform to express their opinions in the form of cheeky jokes and memes.

Some took the opportunity to joke about the PSL anthem, with one user saying: “The only performance i was waiting for during the opening ceremony of PSL.”

Others still reacted to the match in a more serious mood, wondering if the extravaganza was all that important.

One user tweeted: “Are we not the same nation half of whose people are suffering under inflation and half by floods, which is also asking for loans from the IMF and is close to default. Where there is no such thing as justice and tongues are tied.”

Many users commented on the fact that given the weak economy of the country, the event was a tad too much, and was likely to not sit well with the IMF.