PSL Plans Replacement Draft Before Resuming 2021 Season
A replacement draft has been scheduled to be conducted on 4 May by the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to help plug gaps in depleted squads before the 2021 season resumes. After several support staffers and players tested positive for Covid-19, the PCB suspended the competition with only 14 games completed.
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UK Company Hired to Set Up Bio Security Bubble
A UK-based company has been hired to set up a bio-security bubble at Karachi to allow the rest of the competition to be completed in June. The players will undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine after they assemble on 23 May. The competition which is set to resume on 2 June will end with the final on 20 June.
Many Overseas Players Have Pulled Out
Several overseas players who featured in the games before the postponement will be unavailable for various reasons. The Vitality Blast T20 competition will keep the English players busy, while national duty will beckon some others. To fill the gaps in the squads depleted by the withdrawal of overseas players, the PCB will conduct a mini-draft in which the six teams can pick from among 134 players including 10 Australians, 12 New Zealanders, 18 South Africans, 7 Bangladeshis, 25 West Indians, 24 Sri Lankans, 6 Zimbabweans, 16 Afghans, and 5 Irish, in addition to 5 from UAE, 4 from Scotland, one form Nepal and one from Oman.
All Local Players Available
Fortunately for the teams, no local player will be missing. They will have several big names to choose from including platinum category players, Shakib al Hasan, Andre Russell, and Martin Guptill; and diamond category players, Joe Burns, James Faulkner, Tamim Iqbal, Morne Morkel, Adam Milne, and Usman Khawaja.
| Team | Players Unavailable | Gaps in |
| Lahore Qalandars | Rashid Khan (Platinum), Samit Patel (Gold), David Wiese (Diamond), Tom Abell (Silver), Joe Denly | Middle Order Batting, and Spin Bowling |
| Karachi Kings | Colin Ingram (Platinum), Md Nabi (Diamond), Dan Christian (Diamond), Joe Clarke (Silver) | Middle Order Batting |
| Islamabad United | Alex Hales (Platinum), Lewis Gregory (Diamond), Phil Sait (Gold) | Opening and Lower Middle Order Batting |
| Quetta Gladiators | Tom Banton (Platinum) | — |
| Peshawar Zalmi | Mujeeb ur Rahman (Diamond), Liam Livingstone (Gold), Saqib Md (Silver), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Silver) | Main wicket taking bowler (Saqib) |
| Multan Sultans | Chris Lynn (Platinum), James Vince (Gold), Adam Lyth (Silver) | Opening Batting |
State of the Teams
Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars, one of the strongest squads led by Sohail Akhtar, will continue to have the services of Ahmed Daniyal, Ben Dunk, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Zeeshan Ashraf.
Karachi Kings
Defending champions Karachi Kings, led by Imad Wasim, will continue to bank on Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Sharjeel Khan, and Waqas Maqsood.
<Islamabad United
Islamabad United, skippered by Shadab Khan, will enjoy the uninterrupted participation of Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, and Zafar Gohar.
<Quetta Gladiators
The Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Quetta Gladiators, the least affected by the absence of overseas players, will have the services of Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Dale Steyn, Faf du Plessis, Mohammad Hasnain Mohammad Nawaz, Qais Ahmad, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, and Zahid Mahmood.
<Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi, captained by Shoaib Malik, will continue to feature Amad Butt, David Miller, Haider Ali, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan, Ravi Bopara, Sherfane Rutherford, and Umaid Asif.
<Multan Sultans
Multan Sultans, with Mohammad Rizwan at their helm, will continue to rely on Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, Shahid Afridi, Shahnawaz Dhani, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Khan, and Usman Qadir.
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