5 foreign cricketers who could take PSL by storm

Former cricketers at the PSL draftAfter years of planning, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will finally come to fruition on February 4, 2016, when Islamabad United take on the Quetta Gladiators at the Dubai International Stadium. Originally, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had declared the launch of the T20 league in 2009 but had to postpone it due to domestic security concerns.Unlike most other T20 leagues, the PSL will have only five teams for the inaugural season. The teams for the 2016 edition of the PSL are the Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.Every franchise has announced their 20-man squad for the 20-day tournament. Each squad has five foreign players, and they will be the ones in the spotlight when the tournament kicks off, despite the presence of many local Pakistani stars.Here we take a look at five of the foreign players who could make a huge impact in the much-awaited PSL:

#5 Shane Watson (Islamabad United)

Since having been dropped from the national side, Shane Watson worked his way back by playing domestic cricket and putting in performances that showed how great an impact he can have on any side. Watson made his international comeback in the recently-concluded T20I series against India.

Although there were not many positives to take from the series for the home side, one definite bright note will be the batting performance of Watson in the third T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Watson scored an unbeaten knock of 124 in just 71 balls to take his side to their highest T20I score, albeit in a losing cause.

The Australian all-rounder's T20 record is nothing short of outstanding as he 4493 runs in168 matches at an average of 31.20 and a strike rate of 140.49. He has three hundreds and 29 fifties to his name in T20s. His bowling record is equally impressive with 133 wickets to his name at an average of 25.67 and giving away 7.55 runs an over.

All the stats prove how valuable a player Watson is, with the bat as well as the ball, across the globe as he has played in a number of T20 leagues. His form in the Big Bash League (BBL) was fairly impressive as, in 10 games, Watson scored 235 runs and picked up 9 wickets to help his side win the 2015/16 BBL.

Watson will be a great asset to the Islamabad United and the 34-year-old will look to perform well in the tournament and stake a claim for a spot in the Australian squad for the World T20.

#4 Kevin Pietersen (Quetta Gladiators)

Most cricketers would have given up earlier if they faced the same situation as Kevin Pietersen did with the England national team. Since being ousted from the national team setup in January 2014, Pietersen seems to have found himself as he travelled around the world playing in different leagues and performed to the best of his exceptional abilities everywhere.

The 35-year-old's numbers in T20s show clearly how great a player Pietersen can be for the Quetta Gladiators. In 146 matches, Pietersen has scored 4263 runs at an average of 35.23, with three hundreds and 25 fifties to his name. With a strike rate of 136.76, the Englishman is a threat to any bowling attack.

While taking a look at his recent form with the bat, we see how Pietersen has actually matured as a T20 cricketer and adds to the menace he poses.

Since December 2014, Pietersen has played 35 matches and scored a phenomenal 1312 runs at an average of 45.24 and a strike rate of 147.58. Two of his three T20 centuries came in the Ram Slam T20 in November 2015.

After helping the Melbourne Stars to the Big Bash League final, Pietersen will be riding high on confidence and hope to achieve more with the Quetta Gladiators in the first edition of the PSL.

#3 Andre Russell (Islamabad United)

Along with Shane Watson, Islamabad United have another exceptional all-round talent in West Indian Andre Russell. The man from Jamaica has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years to become an important part of any T20 team.

Despite being just 27 years old, Russell has a lot of T20 experience having played 178 matches since making his debut in 2010. In 145 innings, Russell has scored 2585 runs at an average of 24.38, with 12 half-centuries to his name.

However, the most astonishing aspect about Russell is his ability to score runs at a brisk pace. Russell's strike rate of 169.39 is the highest in T20s for any batsman who has scored more than 1000 runs.

In the bowling department, Russell's numbers only magnify the quality he brings to a T20 side as he has picked up 142 wickets in 165 innings at an average of 28.23 and an economy rate of 8.13.

With such an explosive player in the side, Islamabad United will be hoping that the West Indian can come up with attacking cricket. One thing that is guaranteed when Russell is at the crease is entertainment, and fans will be looking forward to watch the all-rounder play.

#2 Dwayne Bravo (Lahore Qalandars)

In the past few years, Dwayne Bravo has been one of the top-performing all-rounders in the T20 format. He has been very useful with the bat, is an exceptional fielder, but is more dangerous with the ball as his variations have bamboozled many a batsman.

What makes Bravo quite special is his ability to bowl in the death overs and keep it tight from one end. MS Dhoni always turns to the Trinidadian to finish things off at the end of the bowling innings.

Bravo's T20 record with both bat and ball are quite impressive. In 277 games, Bravo has picked up 285 wickets at an average of 23.94 and an economy rate of 8. The 32-year-old scored 4492 runs and scored 17 fifties in T20s.

In Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015, Bravo picked up 26 matches in 17 games at a phenomenal average of 16.38 and earned the Purple Cap, an honour that he had received in the 2013 edition of the IPL too after picking up 32 wickets.

Having a man of Bravo's calibre, the Qalandars will be confident going into the tournament and aim for the title. With the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, who has been ruled out due to injury, the onus will be on Bravo to step up and deliver with the ball.

#1 Chris Gayle (Lahore Qalandars)

The #1 choice for who might be the best foreign player in the PSL is a pretty straightforward one, the greatest T20 player there is now – Christopher Henry Gayle. Age does not seem like stopping the big Jamaican from smashing bowlers all around the ground as he continues to play his attacking brand of cricket on a regular basis.

There is no clear competition for Gayle's throne as the king of T20s as he has scored 8624 runs in 235 T20 matches. The closest competitor is Australia's Brad Hodge, who is a good 1718 runs behind the former West Indian captain.

What makes him stand out is the consistency which he finds even in the shortest format of the game. Gayle averages 43.77 and has a strike rate of 149.61, very impressive numbers in the T20 format.

The 36-year-old also has 16 centuries and 54 half-centuries to his name. His highest score of 175* in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was the fastest T20 hundred ever, as he scored it only 30 balls. Gayle also has the record for the joint-fastest T20 fifty, which he scored in the recently concluded Big Bash League (BBL).

With so many records to his name, Gayle will be the top player to watch out for in the PSL, especially with the World T20 around the corner.

Along with the potent threat of Dwayne Bravo in the bowling department and Gayle at the top of the batting order, the Qalandars will be touted as the most likely contenders for the PSL title.