In another injury blow for Pakistan Super League franchise Multan Sultans, pacer Ihsanullah has been ruled out of the upcoming edition of the tournament.
The 21-year-old pacer suffered discomfort in his elbow and will undergo surgery under the supervision of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Earlier on Monday, England pacer Reece Topley was also ruled out for the Pakistan Superliga 2024 by not receiving the No Objection Certificate from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Ihsanullah was the second highest wicket-taker in the last edition of the Pakistan Super League and picked up 21 wickets in 12 innings. According to Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen, the Pakistan Cricket Board has been informed about the development and the franchise is yet to announce his replacement.
Ihsanullah ruled out of 2024 Pakistan Super League
“PCB has informed us that Ihsanullah will miss the entire PSL,” Ali said on the ‘Relukattay’ podcast.
Ihsanullah has played 1 ODI and 4 T20I matches for Pakistan, in which he has picked up only 6 wickets in the T20I format, while he is yet to open his account in the 50-over format.
Many big international names like Rashid Khan, Lungi Ngidi, Kieron Pollard, Naveen-ul-Haq and Wanindu Hasaranga will miss the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League.
However, Pakistan Super League 2024 will still be a brilliant T20 league to watch out for despite the exclusion of big names from international cricket.
The next edition of the Pakistan Super League is scheduled to begin on February 17, 2024. The matches will be held in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi. Karachi’s National Bank Stadium will host the final of the competition on March 18.
Before PSL 9, Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars shared 2 trophies each, while Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings won one title each.
The Pakistan Super League has proven to be one of the best T20 leagues in the world since its launch in 2016. Like the Indian Premier League, the PSL is also a platform for young Pakistani players to showcase their talent on the world stage and also have the opportunity to play in the Pakistani team.
During the entire Pakistan Super League 2024, a total of 34 matches will be played in which Karachi will host the highest number of 11 matches. The qualifiers, two qualifiers and the final will also be played at the Banco Nacional Stadium.
Like the Indian Premier League, there has also been an increase in the price of television and broadcasting rights for the Pakistan Super League. While the price of television rights increases by 113 percent, streaming rights have seen a price increase of 45 percent. While Walee Technologies was able to get the digital rights, local TV channel A Sports was able to get the television rights.
With 113 wickets, veteran Pakistani bowler Wahab Riaz leads the tournament in wicket-taking while Babar Azam leads with 2935 runs scored.
Lahore Qalandars have won the last two editions of the Pakistan Super League, while other teams including Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators also have an equal chance of winning the trophy in 2024.