KARACHI: Debutants Rawalpindi suffered a major blow ahead of the historic 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Australian hard-hitter Jake Fraser-McCurg officially pulling out of the tournament.
Citing personal reasons, the franchise confirmed the youngster’s exit on social media. A replacement is expected to be announced soon.
“Jake Fraser-McCurg has withdrawn from the competition due to personal reasons. We respect his decision and wish him well. His replacement will be announced shortly,” the owner wrote on X.
Although the post was later removed from the team’s official account, it was quote-retweeted by franchise owner Ahsan Tahir, who expressed his disappointment while offering his congratulations.
“Unfortunate but I wish JFM from Pakistan and Rawalpindi the best and good luck,” Tahir wrote.
Having represented Australia in eight T20 Internationals, Fraser-McCurg has become one of the most sought-after batsmen in franchise cricket.
He has featured in Indian Premier League (IPL), Major League Cricket (MLC) and Big Bash League (PBL).
The right-hander fetched the highest base price of Rs. He was placed in the 42 million category. However, he failed to attract a buyer during the main or accelerated rounds and initially went unsold.
He was then signed outright by Rawalpindi, joining a group of experienced internationals including Sam Billings, Daryl Mitchell, Larry Evans and Bangladesh’s Rishadh Hossain.
The upcoming PSL season, scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3, will see eight teams, including Rawalpindi and Hyderabad Kingsmen, compete in 44 matches over 39 days.
Defending champions Lahore Qalandars will face Hyderabad Kingsmen in the opening match on March 26 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
With Faisalabad and Peshawar hosting PSL matches for the first time, along with Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi, matches will be held at six venues.
Gaddafi Stadium has the most matches (15), followed by Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (11), Faisalabad Iqbal Stadium (seven) and National Bank Stadium in Karachi (six).
Each team will play ten matches, with the top four advancing to the playoffs. The final is scheduled for May 3 at Gaddafi Stadium, with reserve day set for May 4.
Rawalpindi Team:
Mohammad Rizwan (catch), Sam Billings, Jalat Khan, Yasir Khan, Naseem Shah, Rishad Hossain, Daryl Mitchell, Mohammad Amir, Abdullah Fazal, Amat Butt, Dian Forrester, Larry Evans, Asif Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Fawad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Amir Khan, Muhammad Amir Khan.
Rawalpindi’s PSL 11 Match Schedule:
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