PSL 2024: Rossouw replaces Sarfaraz as Gladiators captain, Topley ruled out due to injury

PSL 2024, the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League, is set to begin on February 14, 2024, with six teams competing for the coveted trophy. The latest news and updates from the Pakistan-based T20 tournament are as follows: Rilee Rossouw has been appointed as the new captain of Quetta Gladiators, replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed, who led the team for six seasons. Reece Topley, the England fast bowler, has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury.

Rilee Rossouw takes over as Quetta Gladiators captain

Rilee Rossouw, the South African batsman, has been named as the new captain of Quetta Gladiators, one of the most successful teams in the PSL history. Rossouw replaces Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former Pakistan captain, who led the team for six seasons, winning the title in 2019 and finishing as the runners-up in 2017 and 2020. Sarfaraz, however, had a poor run in the last two seasons, as the team finished at the bottom of the table in 2022 and 2023.

Rossouw, who joined the Gladiators in 2017, is the most prolific overseas batsman in the PSL history, scoring 1,744 runs in 49 matches at an average of 41.52 and a strike rate of 146.33. He has also hit 13 half-centuries and one century, and has won the Player of the Tournament award in 2020. Rossouw, who has also played for Hampshire and Khulna Tigers, has expressed his excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to lead the team, and has said that he is confident of the team’s potential and talent.

Reece Topley out of PSL due to back injury

Reece Topley, the England fast bowler, has been ruled out of the PSL due to a back injury, which he sustained during the Big Bash League in Australia. Topley, who was signed by Lahore Qalandars as a replacement for Rashid Khan, will miss the entire tournament, and will undergo a rehabilitation program in England. Topley, who has played 16 T20Is for England, has said that he is disappointed to miss the PSL, and has wished the Qalandars all the best for the tournament.

The Qalandars, who finished as the runners-up in the last edition of the PSL, have not announced a replacement for Topley yet. The Qalandars have also lost the services of Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan leg-spinner, who withdrew from the tournament due to national duty. The Qalandars have retained the core of their squad, such as Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf, and have also signed some new players, such as James Faulkner, Tom Abell, and Ben Dunk.

PSL 2024 to start on February 14, 2024, with six teams in action

PSL 2024, the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League, is set to start on February 14, 2024, with six teams in action. The tournament will be held entirely in Pakistan, after it was shifted to the UAE in 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament will feature 34 matches, including 30 league matches, two eliminators, one qualifier, and the final. The final will be held on March 18, 2024, at the National Stadium in Karachi.

The six teams participating in the PSL 2024 are: Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, and Quetta Gladiators. The teams have retained some of their star players, such as Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Wahab Riaz, and Rilee Rossouw, and have also signed some new players, such as Chris Lynn, David Miller, Colin Munro, and Mohammad Amir. The teams have also made some changes in their coaching staff, such as Phil Simmons for Karachi Kings, Shane Watson for Quetta Gladiators, and Catherine Dalton for Multan Sultans.