Pakistani Pacer Ihsanullah Quits PSL After Being Snubbed in Draft

Sarfaraz Ahmed, Jason Roy and Alex Hales are among the notable unpicked players in the PSL 10 draft

Tue Jan 14 2025
icon-facebook icon-twitter icon-whatsapp

ISLAMABAD: The player draft for the tenth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), held in Lahore on January 13, saw some big surprises as several high-profile players, including former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, experienced New Zealand pacer Tim Southee and hard hitters English duo Jason Roy and Alex Hales, went unpicked.

However, the most striking reaction came from Pakistan’s pace sensation Ihsanullah, who announced his decision to boycott and retire from the PSL after being overlooked by franchises in the 2025 draft.

Ihsanullah’s revelation comes just a day after the PSL 2025 draft in Lahore where he found no takers. Going into the draft, his fitness struggles have been well-documented with a botched elbow surgery as well as inadequate medical treatment delaying his return to the field.

Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen also claimed that the player may not be able to bowl the same way again.

Although Ihsanullah responded by pledging to bowl at speeds of 150 kmph within a month, neither his former side Multan Sultans nor Peshawar Zalmi, who he was on trials with recently, acquired him in the PSL 2025 draft.

Speaking to journalists after the PSL 2025 draft, Ihsanullah said, “I’m boycotting the PSL and retiring from it. You will never see me playing in the PSL again.”

The bowler clarified that his decision wasn’t emotionally motivated and he also added that none of the owners including Ali Tareen got in touch with him before the draft.

Ihsanullah burst onto the scene with his superlative performances with Multan Sultans in PSL 2023. Finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker that season with 22 dismissals, he consistently clocked 150 kmph and finished as the Player of the Series.

As a result, Ihsanullah was fast-tracked into the Pakistan cricket team and he made his T20I debut against Afghanistan in March 2023. However, an elbow injury sustained on his ODI debut against New Zealand proved to be a major setback.

It was claimed that he wasn’t appropriately treated and never received a formal rehabilitation process. Criticism over the mishandling of his injury led to the resignation of PCB’s chief medical officer Dr Sohail Saleem. Not only did it cost him 21 months of his career, but it also affected his pace as Ihsanullah has struggled to reach the speeds that he used to operate at before the injury.

Other notables who are not picked

Among the notable absentees, this season were England’s dynamic top-order batters Jason Roy and Alex Hales.

Roy is known for his explosive batting style and is the holder of the record for the highest individual score in PSL history. His absence stands out, particularly given his previous stint with the Quetta Gladiators.

Meanwhile, Hales has made his mark while playing for Islamabad United in the previous editions of the PSL.

Despite their impressive credentials and past contributions to their respective teams, both players found themselves without any interest from franchise teams this season.

ALSO READ: Pre-ICC Tournament Events: Indian Skipper Likely to Visit Pakistan

Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan also went unpicked, primarily due to his bowling ban.

Shakib was recently banned from bowling in competitions governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after an independent reassessment raised concerns over the legality of his bowling action.

While he remained eligible to participate as a specialist batter, no franchise showed interest in picking him.

Moreover, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had been associated with the former champions Quetta Gladiators since the league’s inception, was released by the franchise earlier this month.

Despite speculations that the Gladiators would select the wicketkeeper-batter in the player draft, the 37-year-old officially parted ways with the 2019 champions on Sunday.

Unfortunately, Sarfaraz was overlooked by the other five teams and thus went unselected in the draft.

Tim Southee, who was categorized in the platinum category and was considered one of the biggest names to register for the PSL 10 Player Draft, also went unpicked, as none of the six franchises showed interest in the veteran pacer.

Notable unpicked players in the PSL 10 Player Draft

Sarfaraz Ahmed, Tim Southee, Ihsanullah, Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ashton Agar, Chris Lynn, Cooper Connolly, Daniel Sams, Jason Behrendroff, Mark Steketee, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, William Sutherland, Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills, Jimmy Neesham, Imran Tahir, Reeza Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi, Charith Asalanka, Evin Lewis.

 

icon-facebook icon-twitter icon-whatsapp