The exceptional Rashid Khan and the thought-provoking Mohammad Haris are also included in the XI.
Rizwan Muhammad (wk)
With 550 runs, a strikeout rate of 142.85%, a batting average of 55.00, and 150 runs.
These kinds of seasons are why Rizwan will become a PSL icon. He maintained his excellent consistency—the tournament’s leading run-scorer—and showed that he could keep developing his batting technique. His strike rate, for which he is frequently chastised, increased to 142.85 this year from under 127 the year before. His masterpiece was a perfect 110 against the Karachi Kings in 64 balls. He was the only player to make a hundred in the PSL at a venue other than Rawalpindi, soaring from 50 to 100 in just 18 balls. He led the Multan Sultans to their third consecutive final and came agonizingly close to winning another championship while, as was to be expected, being faultless behind the stumps.
Abdul Saim
With 341 runs, a 28.41 batting average, a 165.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and five draws.
Given that he had already been dominating the local circuit, he wasn’t quite the find of the PSL, but the effortless transition was still amazing to watch. Ayub battled with Quetta Gladiators as a young player in 2021, so his transformation into an aggressive top-order ball striker was crucial to Peshawar Zalmi’s successful season. He made his intentions clear with a 37-ball 53, but in the Rawalpindi leg, he reached new heights by making the most of the shorter boundaries and flat pitches. Zalmi’s campaign was sparked by three consecutive fifty-plus scores, which helped them advance to the playoffs and earned him his first call-up to the Pakistan T20I team.
Mohammad Haris
350 runs, a 31.81 avg., a 186.17 avg., and two fifty-sixes
Don’t let Haris’ two fifty-score innings in 11 innings deceive you; he is no accumulator. Haris attacks the bowlers from the first ball as a pure intent merchant, engaging in a high-risk, devastatingly effective strategy, mainly when playing within the fielding limitations. He never confronted more than 23 balls in his first eight innings, but whenever he scored runs, his strike rate stayed below 150. He had the highest overall strikeout percentage of any batter, with more than 170 runs in the competition (186.17).
Rilee Rossouw
453 runs, a 45.30 average, a 171.59 strikeout-to-runout ratio, 103 draws
Rossouw, a regular participant in this activity every year, further cemented his position as PSL aristocracy this year. The South African, arguably the best foreign player in competition history, finished 2023 as the third-highest run-scorer. He did so with a strike rate better than everyone in the top 15 except Haris. He started things with an unbeaten 42-ball 78, quickly followed by a 36-ball 75, which led to significant Sultan victories. He reserved his best for Rawalpindi, amassing 121 in 51 balls against Zalmi before making a quick-fire 52 in the championship match to put his team within striking distance of victory.
Kieron Pollard
With 260 runs, a strike rate of 163.52, a 52.00 average, and two fifty-sixes.
Pollard sets very high standards, so this is not his best T20 season. The West Indian made several helpful cameos while primarily used as a lower-order bludgeon. Although they may not have made the news, they did win games. Early victories for the Sultans came from an unbeaten 6-ball 15 and another unbeaten 21-ball 32, and a 25-ball 52 in Rawalpindi helped them easily follow down 243. However, he reserved his best performance for the first Eliminator, scoring a 34-ball 57 in a stunning counterattack that destroyed the Lahore Qalandars. Shaheen Afridi’s most costly PSL over was beaten for 20, and he even contributed with three wickets throughout the season.
Azam Khan
282 runs, a 40.28 average, a strike rate of 161.14, and two fifty-sixes
He made up for his lack of consistency with unadulterated, exhilarating power hitting. His open field in the center of the field was used to devastating effect while playing against an Islamabad United team that was best suited to maximizing his talent. His 42-ball 97 against Gladiators, which destroyed an attack that included Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain at the end of the game, was probably the best performance of the tournament. It was one of two scorching innings in which he displayed everything. He helped the team chase down 201 against the Kings with an unbeaten 72 in 41 balls, gaining him a call-up to the national T20 team.
Wasim Imad
With 404 runs, a strike rate of 170.46, an average of 134.66, and a catch total of 9.
After taking over for Babar Azam, the Kings skipper suffered seven defeats in ten games. Imad’s all-around success allowed him to be recalled to the Pakistani team for the T20I series against Afghanistan, even though the Kings came in fifth.
Rashid Khan
20 wickets, 6.53 for the economy
Rashid’s season, where he also finished as the third-highest wicket-taker, was notable for his economy rate of under seven. This season, only Zalmi took him for 40 or more runs. He was crucial in the Qalandars’ seven out of ten group games victories.
Afridi Shaheen (capt)
With 133 runs, a strike rate of 168.35, 19 catches, and a strike rate of 9.13.
Shaheen won the PSL title for the second time, proving his leadership abilities. To surprise the opposition, he also made a significant number of runs, 133 at a strike rate of 168. It included a 50 against Zalmi before exploding for 44 not out from just 15 balls in the championship match. With one five-for and two four-wicket hauls, he was the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the competition with his bowling.
Zaman Khan
The young talent has an 8.53 economy rate with 15 wickets.
He has an aptitude for stopping a few runs as a last-over specialist. In the first game and the championship, he delivered the 20th over, stopping 14 and 12 runs, respectively. He demonstrated the temperament and poise necessary to join the nucleus of Qalandars in just his second season. He bowled the second-most dot deliveries, along with Rashid (106). There is no denying the effect he had, even though he did not receive a player-of-the-match award. He received his first call-up to the Pakistan T20I team for the series against Afghanistan as compensation.
Ihsanullah
seven.59 economies average, 22 wickets
This season, Pakistan discovered another bowling star. Ihsanullah was selected by the Sultans for the previous season but suffered an injury after just one game; this season, he is back in full strength. The 20-year-old bowled some ferocious spells at 150 kph and made an entrance in his second game against the Gladiators with numbers of 4-1-12-5. He tested almost every batter he faced this season, and he was in first place in the bowling charts until his colleague Abbas Afridi edged him out at the very end, demoting him to second. He trademarked the “archer” jubilation and received a national call-up for the Afghanistan series as compensation.
