Lahore: Some of the biggest names in cricket have shown interest in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and are ready to set the tournament on fire.
It has been learnt that from West Indies, the hard-hitting Kieron Pollard was ready to make an appearance in the PSL, while the top two bowlers in International Cricket Council’s Twenty20 Rankings – Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree – have also shown availability for the tournament.
Dwayne Bravo is another West Indian who is interested in representing a team in the PSL. Pakistan was forced to shift the League to Doha after grounds in the United Arab Emirates – where Pakistan have played all their home cricket since 2009 – were booked for a private league in January-February 2016.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not announced any official signing of “BIG NAMES” of cricket in the PSL. But it seems that it is trying to create the hype before the start of the event in Doha through its “sources”. The twice-postponed PSL will takeoff in February next year and will feature around 25 foreign players, PCB executive committee chairman Najam Sethi announced last month.
The PCB had planned a Twenty20 league in 2013 but had to postpone it twice – in 2014 and 2015 – over a lack of response from sponsors and logistics problems. Recently, the PCB said it has received consent from over 40 international players. But there is no official confirmation about it. And the PCB is a place of unreliable people who have their own axe to grind.
Sri Lankan veteran opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, who is famous for his unorthodox style and the ‘Dil-scoop’, is up for grabs while the Carrom-ball wizard Ajantha Mendis is also interested in representing one of the five sides in the PSL. Thisara Perera, who was on song against Pakistan in the recently concluded series in the Island, is another player who has expressed his interest.
New Zealand’s semifinal hero in the 2015 World Cup, Grant Elliot, will be available for the tournament as well, while Australian Brad Hodge is another player who is ready to present his services in the event.
Other players who have shown interest are the Kiwis’ James Franklin, South African Richard Levi and Robin Peterson, and England’s Tim Bresnan and Michael Carberry. Media reports say the event will accommodate 25 foreign players for its first edition. In addition, top foreign coaches are also being roped in for the first edition of the PSL. The tournament will carry collective prize money of up to $1million.
The speculative big name targets:
West Indies: Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Samuel Badree
Sri Lanka: Thisara Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Ajantha Mendis
New Zealand: Grant Elliott, James Franklin
South Africa: Richard Levi, Robin Peterson
Australia: Brad Hodge
England: Tim Bresnan, Michael Carberry
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