Teams gear up for second leg of PSL 2021

The Pakistan super league had two mini replacement drafts as players had backed out from the PSL’s second leg. The league was suspended in March 2021 after just 14 matches when a few players and officials had tested positive for coronavirus. The league is to now resume from 9^th June 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. If it hadn’t been paused, PSL 2021 would have ended with the final in Lahore on March 22. Between then and now, several overseas players – who were part of the first leg – have withdrawn from the tournament due to various reasons.

Amid all the challenges, especially logistics challenges faced by the franchises and the PCB management, all six of the franchises were allowed to pick at least two additional players in their original squads, with at least one overseas player, which increased the initial squad members from 18-20. The earlier playing conditions had stated that each team had to feature at least three or a maximum of four overseas players in their XIs, but given the growing obstacles around the Covid-19 pandemic, the number has been reduced to a minimum of two overseas players and a maximum of three in the XI for each team.

Here’s a look at all the changes in the squads ahead of the second leg.

Karachi Kings

Form guide: WLWLW

OUT: Colin Ingram, Mohammad Nabi, Dan Christian, Joe Clarke, Liton Das

IN: Thisara Perera, Najibullah Zadran, Martin Guptill

Updated Squad: Imad Wasim (capt), Abbas Afridi, Aamer Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Chadwick Walton, Danish Aziz, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Haris, Thisara Perera, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ahmad, Qasim Akram, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Zeeshan Malik.

Playing XI (before postponement): Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Joe Clarke, Colin Ingram, Dan Christian, Imad Wasim (capt), Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood, Arshad Iqbal.

Peshawar Zalmi

Form guide: LWWWL

OUT: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ravi Bopara

IN: Fabian Allen, Fidel Edwards, Rovman Powell

Updated Squad: Wahab Riaz (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Bismillah Khan, David Miller (partially available), Fabian Allen (partially available), Fidel Edwards (partially available), Haider Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Rovman Powell, Waqar Salamkheil, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, Umaid Asif

Playing XI (before postponement): Kamran Akmal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shoaib Malik (capt), Haider Ali, Ravi Bopara/David Miller, Sherfane Rutherford, Amad Butt, Umaid Asif, Saqib Mahmood, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan

Islamabad United

Form guide: WLWW

OUT: Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory, Phil Salt, Janneman Malan

IN: Usman Khawaja, Umar Amin, Brandon King

Updated Squad: Shadab Khan (capt), Ahmed Saifi Abdullah, Ali Khan, Akif Javed, Asif Ali, Colin Munro, Fawad Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Akhlaq, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Usman Khawaja, Zafar Gohar, Zeeshan Zameer, Umar Amin, Brandon King

Playing XI (before postponement): Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Shadab Khan (capt), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Zafar Gohar

Lahore Qalandars

Form guide: WLWW

OUT: David Wiese, Joe Denly, Tom Abell, Samit Patel, Shakib Al Hasan 

IN: Rashid Khan, James Faulkner, Joe Burns, Callum Ferguson, Seekkuge Prasanna, Tim David, Sultan Ahmed

Updated Squad: Sohail Akhtar (capt), Ahmed Danyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Rashid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Seekkuge Prasanna, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed, Tim David, Zaid Alam, and Zeeshan Ashraf

Playing XI (before postponement): Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar (capt), Joe Denly, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Zeeshan Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Haris Rauf

Multan Sultans

Form guide: LLWLL

OUT: Chris Lynn, James Vince, Adam Lyth, Carlos Brathwaite, Obed McCoy, Shahid Afridi, Mahmudullah

IN: Blessing Muzarabani, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asif Afridi, Hammad Azam, Shimron Hetmyer

Updated Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Hammad Azam, Imran Tahir, Imran Khan Snr, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Umar, Blessing Muzarabani, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rilee Rossouw, Asif Afridi, Shahnawaz Dhani, Shan Masood, Shimron Hetmyer (partially available), Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah, Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir, Waseem Muhammad

Playing XI (before postponement): Chris Lynn, Mohammad Rizwan (capt), James Vince, Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Shahid Afridi, Carlos Brathwaite, Sohail Khan, Usman Qadir, Shahnawaz Dhani

Quetta Gladiators

Form guide: WLLLL

OUT: Tom Banton, Dale Steyn, Anwar Ali

IN: Andre Russell

Updated Squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt), Abdul Nasir, Andre Russell (partially available), Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Hassan Khan, Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood, Zahir Khan.

Playing XI (before postponement): Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Faf du Plessis, Azam Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt), Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Qais Ahmad, Zahid Mahmood, Dale Steyn, Mohammad Hasnain