Whether it’s the evergreen 1992 Cricket World Cup song, Who Rules the World or the recent Dey Ghuma Kay, sports anthems encourage athletes to give their best to the game, and pump up fans to cheer for their favourite team.

With the PSL 2017 kicking off on February 9, we review which teams’ songs managed to hit it big and which left us stumped.

Karachi Kings – Dhan Dhana Dhan Hoga Re

Karachi Kings’ official song, Dhan Dhana Dhan Hoga Re sung by Shehzad Roy is upbeat, has star power with names like Fahad Mustafa, Faisal Qureshi and Waseem Badami cheering for the team, and makes you automatically root for the Karachi Kings! The video also seems well thought-out, and includes elements quintessential of Karachi such as night cricket matches, popular landmarks, and chai. Perhaps the refined execution was the result of the team’s sponsors, which include Bahria Town, Oye Hoye! chips, Vital Tea, Pepsi and Coke.

Islamabad United – Cricket Jorray Pakistan

First, let’s talk about the (only) two good things about the song: it’s rendered by Momina Mustehsan (we usually don’t see sports-driven songs sung by women), and its title Cricket jorray Pakistan has great insight since cricket does unite Pakistan and is also in-line with the team’s name – Islamabad United. Other than these two things, the song is too long and a chore to listen to; the lyrics are not punchy, the tune isn’t catchy, and generally lacks the oomph a team song must have. The video is fairly predictable: Mustehsan appears to be standing in a dimly-lit room, singing to herself while glimpses of Islamabad United’s previous wins flash sporadically. Really, what happened to the Afreen Afreen magic that Mustehsan displayed in Coke Studio?

Peshawar Zalmi – Peshawar Zalmi (Urdu version)

Although this official video (posted on the team’s official Facebook page) is very basic in terms of its treatment, the fun, sporty lyrics (such as Panga lainay waalay maidaan mein pachtayeingay and Humaray batsman ground mein aag lagadeingay), the clever use of the words such as “Boom Boom”, the thick yet endearing Pushto accent of singer Zohaib Amjad, complemented by upbeat, ‘disco-ish’ music makes the song a pleasure to listen to. You can feel the team’s enthusiasm, and the emotions apparent in the vocals will have you rooting for the team. If only the song had been 30 seconds shorter, it would have been perfect.

Quetta Gladiators

The team has to yet to release its official 2017 anthem (as per official Quetta Gladiators’ social media accounts). However, what we do know is some pretty awesome build-up that they have done by posting short videos and pictures using the hashtags #KaiKaiQuetta (roughly translated to ‘I am coming, Quetta’) and #ShaanePakistan on their page.

We sure hope the 2017 song is as jazzy as the one sung in 2016 by Faakhir Mehmood and Fahim Allan Faqeer:

Lahore Qalandars – Dama Dum Mast Qalandar

The command that the music maestro Shafqat Amanat Ali has over his voice is reflected in this song. Although the lyrics are not exactly punchy, the composition and Amanat’s voice makes this song a pleasure to listen to. Having said that, although the Lahore Qalandars have the most aesthetically pleasing team logo of them all, the song has none of that Punjabi dalairi (bravery) and ‘zinda dil’ feel to it which is characteristic of Lahore.

Which one is your favourite team song and why? Tell us in the comments below!