In the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022, a record number of English players will compete.
In this year’s PSL, a total of 23 players from England will compete, including some of the biggest stars who have excelled not only in international T20 events but also in the domestic “T20 Blast” and the first edition of the “The Hundred” tournaments. Many of these players have also appeared in previous PSL editions on a regular basis.
Jason Roy, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, James Vince, Saqib Mahmood, Alex Hales, Phil Slat, Samit Patel, Lewis Gregory, Reece Topley, Joe Clark, and Harry Brooks will all play in this edition of the PSL.
This year’s event, which begins on January 27, will also feature Ben Duckett, Luke Wood, Dan Lawrence, Jordon Thompson, Tom Lommonby, David Willey Mathew Potts, Will Smeed, Pat Brown, Matt Parkinson, and Tom-Kohler Cadmore.
The tournament, which is currently considered one of the most important T20 cricket tournaments, would run a month. However, not all of the English players will participate throughout the competition, as several are filling up for fellow countrymen who will be absent for the first few matches due to England’s T20I series against the West Indies.
The Quetta Gladiators have the most English players in their squad, with six, while the Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi each have five. Lahore Qalandars have signed four English cricketers, Islamabad United have signed two, while Multan Sultans have only signed one English player for this year’s competition. The PSL 7 has signed four players from Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, as well as three players from Somerset. In this year’s PSL, there are two players from Surrey, two from Sussex, and one player each from Durham, Essex, Worcestershire, and Hampshire counties.
Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, James Vince, Chris Jordan, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, and Reece Topley will miss the first few games of the tournament due to their participation in the English T20I squad touring the West Indies. The complete list of which English players will play for which PSL franchise this year can be found below.
Quetta Gladiators
In the platinum category, the Quetta Gladiators have chosen the dashing English opener, Jason Roy. Roy, who is known for his flashy top-order batting style, has also represented Quetta Gladiators in the 2018 and 2020 tournaments, as well as Lahore Qalandars in the 2017 edition.
James Vince, another English opener, is also singing for Quetta in the Platinum category. Vince, a successful Hampshire player, lead “Southern Braves” to victory in “The Hundred’s” inaugural competition last year. In the third ODI of the series, he also hit a match-winning century against Pakistan at Edgbaston. James Vince formerly played for the Karachi Kings in 2016 and the Multan Sultans in 2020-2021.
Gladiators have chosen Nottinghamshire wicket-keeper batsman Ben Duckett and Lancashire left-arm quick Luke Wood for the silver category. Luke Wood was picked to replace Naveen ul Haq, who chose to play for the Bangladesh Premier League. In the final few games of the PSL 7, young opening hitter Will Smeed from Somerset and test bat Amna Dan Lawrence from Essex will replace James Vince and Jason Roy.
Karachi Kings
Unlike last year, when the Karachi Kings only had one Englishman in their team, the Kings have chosen five English players for this year’s PSL, including bowler Chris Jordan, who has been kept in the Platinum category. Jordan, who formerly played for Peshawar Zalmi, has been a consistent performer in the PSL. Chris Jordan, who plays for Sussex in the English Premier League, has been England’s leading fast bowler in T20Is.
The Karachi Kings selected Lewis Gregory in the Diamond category. Gregory, who plays for Somerset, made his ODI debut against Pakistan in the summer of 2021 when the Pakistani team came to England. He was part of the English speed bowling attack alongside Saqib Mahmood.
Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper-batsman Joe Clark, who was selected by Kings in the Gold category, is also the tournament’s Brand Ambassador.
Karachi Kings have selected Yorkshire all-rounder Jordan Thomas in the additional players’ category. Kings have recruited Somerset’s Tom Lammonby to replace county colleague Tom Abell. Tom Abell, who played for Lahore Qalandars last year, was originally signed in the silver category by Kings for this edition, but he had to withdraw due to an injury he got while playing in the BBL for “Brisbane Heat.”
Peshawar Zalmi
In this year’s PSL, the Zalmis will have five English players, including dashing batter Liam Livingstone, who was selected in the Platinum category. Livingstone also appeared in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, respectively. He has been in outstanding form in both domestic and international T20 cricket over the last year or so.
Livingston made the fastest century by an Englishman in T20I cricket after scoring a century in just 42 deliveries against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in Nottingham in 2021. His incredible play lasted far into “The Hundred,” where he was on a tear for the “Birmingham Phoenix.”
He smashed 27 sixes in total, including ten in a single match, and was the leading run-scorer with 348 runs. He also led Phoenix to the final, but they were defeated by the Southern Braves. Livingstone can also bowl leg breaks and off-breaks as a spinner. Peshawar Zalmi has re-signed fast bowler Saqib Mahmood for the coming season. The Gold category was chosen for the Birmingham-born British-Pakistani cricketer from Lancashire. Saqib, who played for Peshawar Zalmi in the 2019-20 season, has also been named a “Brand Ambassador” for the team. When Saqib Mahmood led the English pace attack against visiting Pakistan in 2021, he dismissed captain Babar Azam twice in a three-match ODI series and was voted player of the series. Peshawar Zalmi has kept Yorkshire wicket-keeper batsman Tom-Kohler Cadmore in the Silver category. In 2018, he played for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League. Lancashire leg spinner Matt Parkinson and Worcestershire pacer Pat Brown were also signed by Zalmi. For the first few games, both will take the place of Liam Livingstone and Saqib Mahmood.
Lahore Qalandars
For this year’s PSL, the Qalandars have recruited four English players, including Harry Brook in the Gold category. While still in school, the all-rounder from Yorkshire earned his first-class debut against Pakistan A in 2016. Brooks also captained England’s U19 team at the 2018 U19 World Cup. Durham all-rounder Matthew Potts will fill in for him in Qalandars’ squad during his absence for the first few games.
Welshman Phil Salt was also selected in the Gold category by the Lahore Qalandars. In the ODI series against Pakistan in 2021, Salt, who plays for Sussex in the county competition, made his international debut. Phil Salt previously played in the PSL for Lahore Qalandars in 2018. He was also a member of Islamabad United’s 2019-21 tournament team. Lahore Qalandars have kept Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel in the supplemental category for this season. Samit Patel has played in the Pakistan Super League on a regular basis. Samit was a member of Islamabad United’s squad for the 2018 and 2019 seasons before joining Lahore Qalandars for the 2020-21 season.
Islamabad United
Islamabad United has recruited two English cricketers for this year’s PSL, including Alex Hales in the Gold category. Alex Hales of Nottinghamshire was re-signed by Islamabad United in 2021 after starring for United in 2018-19 and Karachi Kings in 2020. He’s also been chosen as the team’s mentor.
Reece Topley, a left-arm seamer who was selected in the silver category, is the other English player to play for United.
Multan Sultans
Multan Sultan, the defending champion, has only signed one English cricket player for this year’s PSL. David Willey, a Yorkshire and England all-rounder, was selected in the extra player’s category. David Willey is the son of Peter Willey, a former international umpire.
On January 27, the PSL7 will kick off with a match between defending champions Multan Sultans and former champions Karachi Kings at Karachi’s National Stadium. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all matches will be held in Karachi and Lahore, with the NCOC allowing only 25% of fans into the stadiums for the Karachi leg of the competition. During the month-long competition, 34 matches will be played, with the final set to take place on February 27 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.