PSL 2019: 5 domestic players to watch out for

As the popularity of the T20 leagues across the globe increased, Pakistan launched its own domestic league, Pakistan Super League (PSL), four years ago. Several Pakistan modern-day greats like Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Misbah ul Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, and others have played a major part in the league.

The Pakistan Super League has given several young talents to the Pakistan national team in the last few years. For the 2019 edition, International stars like AB de Villiers, David Warner, Kieron Pollard, and Sandeep Lamichhane will be a part of this league.

PSL has transformed the domestic structure of Pakistan Cricket and the league has spring-boarded a number of young cricketers.

In this article, we will have a look at the top 5 domestic players to watch out for in PSL 2019.

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#5 Babar Azam, Karachi Kings

Babar Azam is the #1 ranked batsman in the ICC T20I Rankings

In the past few months, Babar Azam has shown tremendous form in T20I cricket for Pakistan. The 24-year-old's scores in his last eight T20I innings read 97, 51, 68, 45, 50, 7, 40, and 79. He is also currently the World No.1 batsman in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings.

He has played 26 T20Is thus far for Pakistan and aggregated more than 1,000 runs at an average of 54.26. Azam also has a healthy strike rate of 124.56 in T20Is. Babar was also the third highest run-getter in 2018 Pakistan Super League.

The youngster is expected to play a key role for Karachi Kings this season. He will have the support of Colin Ingram, Ravi Bopara, and Liam Livingstone in helping the Karachi Kings win their first ever PSL title.

#4 Fakhar Zaman, Lahore Qalandars

Fakhar Zaman is the only Pakistani batsman to score a double century in ODIs

The left-handed opening batsman, Fakhar Zaman, made a name for himself representing Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. He led his team to the title as he scored a magnificent hundred in the finals against India.

Zaman has represented Pakistan in 26 T20Is thus far and has scored 706 runs at an average of just above 28. In the 10 matches he has played in the Pakistan Super League 2018, Fakhar Zaman has aggregated 277 runs with a career-best score of 94.

Zaman would be keen to lead the Lahore Qalandars to their first ever PSL triumph this season. He will also have the support of AB de Villiers, Mohammad Hafeez, Anton Devcich, Carlos Braithwaite, Brendon Taylor, Shaheen Afridi, and Yasir Shah.

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#3 Shoaib Malik, Multan Sultans

Shoaib Malik still plays for Pakistan at the international level

Shoaib Malik, the 36-year-old all-rounder, has been a part of the Pakistan national team for almost a couple of decades and he still is one of the most important players of the team.

Malik has played 108 T20Is in his career and scored more than 2000 runs. He has also picked up 28 wickets. He has played in 10 PSL games during the 2018 campaign and scored 223 runs at an average of 37.33.

Playing for the Multan Sultans, Shoaib Malik will have the support of the veteran Pakistan All-rounder, Shahid Afridi. Daniel Christian is also a part of the Multan Sultans squad this season. Some of the other notable names in the squad are Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Shan Masood, Joe Denly, and Nicholas Pooran.

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#2 Misbah-ul-Haq, Peshawar Zalmi

Misbah-ul-Haq is 44 years old at the moment

Misbah-ul-Haq, the former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, will be the oldest Pakistan player to play in the Pakistan Super League this season. He is 44 at the moment and still has the passion for the game.

Misbah-ul-Haq had a dreadful PSL 2018. He has played in eight matches last season and scored only 57 runs at an average of 19. His strike rate was also very low at 75. If he fails to find form this season, this could probably be his last PSL campaign.

Fans would be hoping for a better show from him this year. Peshawar Zalmi have several experienced players in Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard, Dawid Malan, and Wahab Riaz, who would try their best to help Peshawar Zalmi win their second PSL title.

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#1 Sarfraz Ahmed, Quetta Gladiators

Sarfraz Ahmed's captaincy will be watched by the Pakistani selectors

The captaincy of Sarfraz Ahmed has come under the scanner after the team's failure to win the Test series against New Zealand and South Africa. Sarfraz, who led the Pakistani side to the Champions Trophy title in 2017, would be keen to make a statement while leading the Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2019.

In 11 games during the 2018 PSL campaign, Sarfraz Ahmed has scored 223 runs at a strike rate of almost 130. Though he failed to score a single 50, he played some good cameos.

Also, the wicket-keeper will be looking to get back his form with the bat because of late he has failed miserably with the bat. Players like Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Umar Akmal, and Ahmed Shehzad are also a part of the Quetta Gladiators team this season.

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