PSL 2019: Franchises pick replacement players for the upcoming edition

The Replacement Draft for the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2019 was held in Lahore on Thursday and teams came up with alternative names for players they are going to miss fully or partially in the tournament which will take place for over a month. The fourth edition of the T20 tournament will kick off in Dubai, UAE, on February 14, while the matches towards the end, including the final, will be held in Pakistan.

The tournament will shift to Sharjah after the initial seven games in Dubai. After the completion of the eighth game in Sharjah, the PSL will return to Dubai and a few games will also be played in Abu Dhabi before it goes to Pakistan where Lahore and Karachi will host the closing games.

The upcoming edition will be special for it will see the involvement of AB de Villiers, the former South Africa captain who retired from international cricket last year. De Villiers will be playing his maiden PSL for Lahore Qalandars and what is even more special is that he has confirmed participation in games that will be held in Pakistan as well.

The gesture earned accolades as it was seen as something that would boost Pakistan’s image as a suitable host for international cricket. The country has hosted a few international games in the last decade after a horrific terror attack on the Sri Lankan national team there in 2009.

Steve Smith, another exciting player who has been banned for a year for the Sandpapergate scandal, was also set to play for Multan Sultans in the PSL this year but he got ruled out after sustaining an elbow injury while playing in the Bangladesh Premier League recently. In the Replacement Draft, three franchises of the PSL made some significant changes for the upcoming edition, editor of PakPassion.net, Saj Sadiq revealed on Twitter.

Sultans replace Smith with the dashing Andre Russell

The Sultans went for Windies all-rounder Andre Russell replacing Smith and James Vince who will be coming in for compatriot Joe Denly. Former champions and last year runners-up Peshawar Zalmi have picked Caribbean Andre Fletcher to replace Afghanistan’s teenage bowler Waqar Salamkheil.

Among other replacements are Dwayne Smith who will be playing in the place of fellow Carribean Dwayne Bravo who will arrive late for Quetta Gladiators. In Lahore Qalandars, Hardus Viljoen and David Wiese will be in as cover for de Villiers, Carlos Brathwaite and Corey Anderson.

The picks at the PSL 2019 replacement draft #PSL2019 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/OJUka6nnXW

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) January 24, 2019

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