Moeen Ali, Dilshan, Roy picked in PSL replacement draft

LAHORE: A replacement draft for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 edition was finalized here on Monday to facilitate the inclusion of replacement foreign players after some of the players picked in the original draft dropped out of the competition due to injuries, unavailability, international commitments or bans.

Team managements of the PSL franchises were present at the National Cricket Academy, where the picks were made after consent of all participants, said a spokesman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Karachi Kings have their original quota of foreign players intact and they have given their consent to the picks made by the other franchises, the spokesperson added.

Islamabad United (IU) decided to retain their West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell in their team, though Russell awaits clearance after his doping case hearing. A verdict on his hearing is expected to arrive within the next fortnight.

If banned, IU will be given the option to immediately replace Russell.

Lahore Qalandars had to make three changes to their squad, as did Peshawar Zalmi who have withheld one pick for now.

Last year’s runner-up Quetta Gladiators made four changes while IU and Karachi Kings have their original picks in place.

The latter picks from PZ will only be activated and eligible to play once the number of foreign players in the team goes under the minimum quota allowed by the PSL, which is five. This would happen only after the Bangladesh players leave for their international team commitments.

Draft replacements

Lahore Qalandars

In: James Franklin, Chris Green, Jason Roy

Out: Anton Devcich (injured), Shaun Tait (injured), Dwayne Bravo (injured)

Peshawar Zalmi

In: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Marlon Samuels, Andre Fletcher

Out: Shakib Al Hasan (unavailable), Alex Hales (injured), Mohammad Shahzad (unavailable)

Quetta Gladiators

In: Moeen Ali, Nathan McCullum, Thisara Perera, Rilee Rossouw

Out: Carlos Brathwaite (unavailable), David Willey, Rovman Powell, Mohammad Nabi (unavailable)

Additional reporting from APP