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Preview: Pakistan Super League squads
The sixth edition of PSL is all set to resume on June 9 in UAE.
Here’s a preview of all the squads.
Quetta Gladiators
Captain: Sarfaraz Ahmed
Coach: Moin Khan
Best finish: Champions (2019)
Last season: Fifth
Faf du Plessis is a key player for Quetta.
He wasn’t in good form in the first half of PSL 6, scoring just 71 runs in three matches.
However, he regained his form for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, scoring 320 runs in seven matches.
Mohammad Hasnain is a proven performer and bagged six wickets in five matches, in the first half of PSL 6 at an economy rate of 8.33. Last season, he had 15 wickets at 8.96 from just nine matches.
32-year old Andre Russell is game-changer with over 6,300 T20 runs at a strike rate of 169.45 and over 300 wickets.
Squad:
Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Abdul Nasir, Andre Russell (partially available), Anwar Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Hassan Khan, Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood, Zahir Khan
Peshawar Zalmi
Captain: Wahab Riaz
Coach: Daren Sammy
Best finish: Champions (2017)
Last season: Fourth
Shoaib Malik is a T20 legend and can never be ruled out, even though he struggled in his first five matches in PSL 6, scoring just 101 runs with a highest score of 34.
Peshawar’s captain, Wahab Riaz is another beacon of consistency.
He has been the leading wicket-taker for four of the last five tournaments. Riaz’s tally of 84 wickets at an economy of 7.18 in 59 PSL matches is a record.
Squad:
Wahab Riaz (c), 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
Islamabad United
Captain: Shadab Khan
Coach: Johan Botha
Best finish: Winners (2016, 2018)
Last season: Sixth
Alex Hales will be absent for the second leg of PSL 6 which will be a big blow.
To bolster their batting, Islamabad have brought in Usman Khawaja who has the potential to be a match-winner, as his Big Bash performances suggest.
The dark horse could be pacy Mohammad Wasim Junior, who was labelled by Abdul Razzaq as the ‘quickest bowler in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy’.
Squad:
Shadab Khan (c), 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
Karachi Kings
Captain: Imad Wasim
Coach: Herschelle Gibbs
Best finish: Winners (2020)
Last season: Winners
Babar Azam is their talisman and one of the best batsmen in the business. He was the highest run-scorer in 2020 with 473 runs which included half-centuries in the qualifier and the final.
The Kings will also count on Sharjeel Khan who made 200 runs in five matches.
Another player to watch out for is 20-year old right arm seamer Arshad Iqbal, who is 6ft, 2 inches tall and capable of swing and bounce.
Squad:
Imad Wasim (c), Abbas Afridi, Amir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Chadwick Walton, Danish Aziz, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Haris, Thisara Perera, Najeebullah Zadran, Noor Ahmed, Qasim Akram, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Zeeshan Malik
Lahore Qalandars
Captain: Sohail Akhtar
Coach: Aaqib Javed
Best finish: Third in group, runners-up in final (2020)
Last season: Third in group, runners-up in final
Afghan Rashid Khan is indisputably the world’s best short-format spinner with his lethal mix of googles and flippers.
Along with last year’s highest wicket taker, Shaheen Afridi and bowlers like Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain, Lahore have the strongest bowling attack.
The hard-hitting left hander and wicket-keeper batsman, Zeeshan Ashraf is another player to watch out for.
Squad:
Sohail Akhtar (c), Ahmed Danyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shakib al Hasan (replacement to be announced shortly), Salman Ali Agha, Seekuge Prasana, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed (replaces Joe Burns), Tim David, Zaid Alam, Zeeshan Ashraf, Rashid Khan
Multan Sultans
Captain: Mohammad Rizwan
Coach: Andy Flower
Best finish: Group winners, lost in eliminator (2020)
Last season: Group winners, lost in eliminator
South African left-hander Rilee Rossouw is one of the most prolific batsmen in PSL history and has scored at 131.42 with an average of 32.64.
In Feb 2020, he hit the fastest-ever PSL century against Quetta Gladiators smashing 100* in 44 deliveries.
Their bowling department has oodles of T20 experience with canny operators like Imran Tahir and Sohail Tanvir.
In Mohammad Rizwan, they have among the finest wicket-keeper batsmen in the world.
Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Hammad Azam, Imran Tahir, Imran Khan Snr, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Umar, Obed McCoy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rilee Rossouw, Shahnawaz Dhani, Shan Masood, Shimron Hetmyer (available only partially), Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah, Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir, Muhammad Waseem
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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024
RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.
It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain
Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.
It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.
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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window
Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.
It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.
Watch the viral video here –
ELLYSE PERRY HAS BROKE THE GLASS OF THE CAR…!!! 🤯
– The reaction of Perry was priceless!! pic.twitter.com/zaxiQLLN1r
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 4, 2024
Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.
RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief
As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.
On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.
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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy
Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.
Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.
The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).
‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar
“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.
Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.
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