Four cities
The eighth season expanded the domestic footprint again. Karachi and Lahore had shared the whole of the 2022 season; 2023 added Multan and Rawalpindi, with Rawalpindi taking eleven matches, more than any other ground. Peshawar's Arbab Niaz Stadium was declared unfit and Quetta's Bugti Stadium was added and then dropped. A dispute with the Punjab government over the cost of security arrangements briefly threatened the Lahore and Rawalpindi fixtures before it was settled.
The tournament was also the highest-scoring the competition had staged. Jason Roy made 145 from 63 balls for Quetta Gladiators, the largest individual score anyone had made in the league. Rilee Rossouw made 121, Usman Khan 120 from 43, Martin Guptill 117, and Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam both 115.
Multan's tournament, Lahore's trophy
Multan Sultans finished second in the group stage behind Lahore Qalandars and produced almost every individual award. Mohammad Rizwan made 550 runs. Abbas Afridi took 23 wickets. Ihsanullah, a fast bowler in his first season, took 22 including 5 for 12, and was named player of the tournament. They then beat Lahore twice in the space of a month, once in the group stage and once in the Qualifier, where they made 160 for 5 and bowled the holders out for 76 in 14.3 overs, Kieron Pollard taking the award.
Lahore recovered. Peshawar Zalmi beat Islamabad United in Eliminator 1 by twelve runs; Lahore then chased 172 against Peshawar in Eliminator 2 with seven balls to spare, Mirza Tahir Baig taking the match award on debut.
Lahore, 18 March
The final had been scheduled for 19 March and was moved forward a day when the forecast for Lahore turned. Lahore Qalandars batted first and made 200 for 6. Multan needed eleven from the last over and were 199 for 8 at the end of it. One run.
It was the closest final the competition has had, and it made Lahore Qalandars the first side to retain the title. Shaheen Afridi took the match award. For Multan it was a second consecutive defeat in the final, and the second in which they had been the better side over the six weeks preceding it.