Multan Sultans face bowling setback ahead of PSL 9

LAHORE: Multan Sultans, gearing up for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine, have encountered a setback in their bowling department as two key pacers will be sidelined for the upcoming tournament.

According to team owner Ali Tareen, England pacer Reece Topley will miss the action as he was not granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Topley, aged 29, who was picked in the gold category in December 2023, is also nursing a niggle, adding to the team’s bowling concerns. In another blow to the team, Pakistan pacer Ihsanullah will be absent for the entire PSL season. Ali Tareen confirmed this development in the podcast, stating, “PCB has informed us that Ihsanullah will miss the entire PSL.”

Ihsanullah, 21, emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in PSL 8, claiming 22 wickets in 12 innings. However, after the tournament, he started experiencing discomfort in his elbow, which eventually led to a surgery. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been overseeing his recovery process.

Multan Sultans will now have to reassess their bowling options and formulate a strategy to cope with the absence of these two prominent pacers as they aim for success in PSL 9.

It must be noted that PSL 9 will be held in four cities — Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi — with the final of the event taking place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on March 18.

Like the previous edition, the PSL 9 will take place in two legs with Multan Cricket Stadium and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting 14 matches between them from February 17 to 27.

The action then moves to Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium and Karachi’s National Bank Stadium, where 16 matches will be held from February 28 to March 12. The event will then move to Karachi in its entirety for the playoffs.

Multan Sultans squad for PSL 9 Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed (both Platinum), Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir (both Diamond), Abbas Afridi (Gold), Faisal Akram (Emerging), Dawid Malan, Reeze Hendricks, Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Ali, Usman Khan, Yasir Khan, Chris Jordan, Aftab Ibrahim, David Willey, Johnson Charles, Muhammad Shahzad