The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is thinking about setting up a mini draft to replace some players for the remaining PSL matches. This comes as franchises are having a hard time getting their overseas players back after they left due to the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan.
The PCB had plans to move the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to the UAE but paused those plans when things got heated at the border. They announced on Tuesday that the league will finish between May 17 and 25, but they haven’t shared the full schedule yet.
A franchise official mentioned that the teams, except for Multan Sultans, are struggling to persuade their overseas players to return for the last few matches. Multan has only one game left and isn’t in the playoffs, so it makes little sense for them to bring back their foreign players.
Teams like Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Islamabad, and Peshawar, who are still in playoff contention, are working with player agents to try to get their players back to Pakistan. The official noted that if they don’t have much luck, the PCB might consider the mini replacement draft.
There’s also a possibility that teams can play without any foreign players or can opt to have a maximum of four overseas players. Some franchises have managed to convince a few overseas players to return, but many who left for Dubai aren’t eager to come back right now. Meanwhile, Karachi Kings successfully got their captain, David Warner, to return along with two other Australian players.