The 9th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is about to kick off next month. The domestic T20 cricket league has been a highly anticipated event for all Pakistanis every year ever since it started in 2016.
The event always sees a bunch of new and exciting brand deals, anthems and celebrity partnerships. One of these frequent collaborators is superstar Ali Zafar. Zafar has worked on both the individual team anthems and the official anthems for the league in the past.
The ‘Channo’ singer was all set to debut his official anthem for the 2024 9th edition of PSL when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to remove him from the anthem. The reason for this seems to be the sexual harassment allegations made against Zafar by singer Meesha Shafi in 2018. Here’s what went down.
2024 PSL Anthem
With the 2024 PSL about to kick off, superstar Ali Zafar was also set to debut his latest official anthem for the event. The news broke out two months ago that he would be working on the official anthem of the upcoming sports event.
This was met with utter delight from fans due to Zafar’s tremendous track record with sports anthems in the past. So, when it was announced that the singer was being removed from the anthem, the news took social media by storm and left everyone scratching their heads.
The singer told Dawn that he was officially contacted by the PCB to create the PSL anthem for this year.
“After working on it for two months, hiring musicians and music producers at my personal expense, I came up with three different versions of the anthem for the PCB to choose from. After one of them was finalised and the release was being planned, I was informed by the PCB that I could not go ahead with the anthem for reasons that I would not like to disclose at this point.”
This led to intense speculation both from fans and the media, many concluding that Zafar’s removal had something to do with the allegations made against him by Meesha Shafi.
The sexual harassment allegations, made by Meesha Shafi in 2018, materialized into several court cases in the last few years. Both stars have been embroiled in controversies ever since, which have also affected both their respective careers.
Zafar, despite maintaining his claims of innocence, has been fighting legal battles due to this case. The defamation lawsuits took a toll on his and Shafi’s personal and professional lives. So, it’s not too surprising to see a huge brand such as PSL wanting to distance itself from a controversial figure.
It is worth noting again that Zafar is no newcomer to sports anthems. The ‘Jhoom’ singer has also had a successful working relationship with PCB in the past and has worked on PSL since its inception.
Here’s a timeline of Ali Zafar’s work on PSL in the past.
2015
‘Ab Khel Ke Dikha’ the official anthem of PSL’s debut season.
2016
‘Chakka Choka’ the theme song of PSL team Islamabad United.
2017
‘Ab Khel Jamay Ga’ the official anthem of 2017 PSL.
2018
‘Dil Se Jaan Laga De’ the official anthem of 2018 PSL.
While Ali Zafar has produced several unofficial anthems since then, it is also worth noting that his last official collaboration was prior to the allegations made against him. So, when looked that way, it doesn’t come as a total surprise that the brand is still reluctant to work with him.
However, it’s highly unethical that Zafar was given the approval to work on the anthem before ultimately being removed from it.
A new singer is yet to be announced for the anthem, which is surely going to cause another uproar when it does happen. PCB has yet to make any comments on this issue. Hopefully, all parties involved can walk away with dignity. Stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood for any further updates.
