Daily Times

karachi: Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal will be representing Quetta Gladiators in the next edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). According to a press release, spin wizard Sunil Narine along with Akmal will be traded to Quetta Gladiators with Rahat Ali and Hassan Khan donning the Qalandars colours for the next season. Narine, who played two seasons for the Qalandars in 2017 and 2018 will bring a wealth of experience with 299 T20 appearances and 342 wickets across different leagues and tournaments in the world. For Akmal, the move to Quetta marks a new chapter. Akmal who scored 556 runs at the strike rate of 138 in his 20 PSL appearances will bring much-needed firepower to the Gladiators side.

The deal between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators will see Lahore taking Quetta’s first round Platinum pick and Quetta getting Lahore’s Silver round pick in the second round, the press release further said.

Chief Operating Officer of Qalandars Sameen Rana thanked Narine and Akmal for their stints with the franchise while welcoming Ali and Khan. “On behalf of the Lahore Qalandars management and fans, we would like to thank Sunil and Umar for their services to the team. They added tremendous value to the Qalandars and I wish them well on this next chapter in their PSL careers,” she said. Rana added, “We are very excited to welcome Rahat Ali and Hassan Khan to the Qalandars family. Rahat showed what he is capable of with the ball in this format with his excellent bowling last year and Hassan has impressed everyone with his determination and calmness on the field.” Moreover, Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar also welcomed Narine and Akmal to the Gladiators family.

“Sunil Narine and Umar Akmal are world-class additions to the Gladiators squad ahead of PSL season 4. Sunil Narine is a magician with the ball and one of the best match-winners when in T20 cricket. Umar Akmal, too, remains one of the most destructive batsmen in Pakistan and he will add much-needed firepower in our batting,” Omar said. He added, “I would also like to thank Hassan Khan and Rahat Ali for being exemplary ambassadors for Quetta Gladiators. Both these talented cricketers will always have a special place in the Gladiators family.” The next season of PSL will start from February 14th, 2019.

Published in Daily Times, November 4^th 2018.