Lahore Qalandars have traded the experienced Umar Akmal and Sunil Narine ahead of the 4th edition of the Pakistan Super League in what is considered to be the biggest trade deal among the PSL franchises so far. In place of the experienced duo, Hassan Khan and Rahat Ali have joined the Quetta Gladiators squad. Sunil Narine had joined the Lahore Qalandars side in 2017 in the 2nd edition of the PSL and put on some impressive performances in both the editions. In the 9 matches Narine has played in the PSL, he has claimed 10 wickets, but his speciality has been an economy of just 6 runs per over.
The experience of Sunil Narine can really help the Gladiators to claim the trophy as he has played 299 matches in the shortest format claiming 342 wickets. This is a T20 record that any bowler would be proud of, an economy of under 6 is very impressive in the 20 over format. Add to that, the newfound power hitting ability that Sunil Narine now possesses. It's safe to say that Sunil Narine has established himself as a powerhouse in T20s with the ability to win matches both with bat and ball.
The 2nd trade deal between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators was that of Umar Akmal joining the Quetta side. Umar Akmal is also an experienced customer when it comes to T20s playing most of the T20 leagues around the world.
Having played close to 250 matches, Umar Akmal will also be a good addition to Gladiators side. This is the 1st time that Umar Akmal will not be playing for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL. His record in this format is decent with a good strike rate. Umar Akmal is also among the top scorers in the PSL having scored 556 runs at a strike rate of 138 in the 20 matches he's featured in so far. But his biggest threat has always been his lack of discipline which saw him excluded from the National side as well. As a result his form has been in decline ever since the 1st season of the PSL where he scored above 300 runs at an average of over 80. As phenomenal his record was in the 1st season, he hasn't even been half as good ever since and was even dropped mid season in the last edition of the PSL. But there's no denying his talent and power hitting ability and he will be hoping that a change of teams will bring about a change in his fortunes.
Lahore Qalandars has been the least impressive side so far in the history of the Pakistan Super League and they'll be hopeful to turn things around this time. Desire featuring some big names they've been unable to perform as a team and as such have never gone past the group stage of the PSL. There's a good chance that Ab De Villiers will join the Qalandars for the 4th edition and he just might be what Lahore needs to turn things around. It's almost certain that Lahore will pick AB as they've let Umar Akmal and Sunil Narine go and brought in two bowlers in their squad.
Rahat Ali has been among the best bowlers in the PSL for the previous seasons and will be a good addition to the Lahore side. Hassan Khan is also rated highly among the Pakistan youngsters and has put on a few impressive performances in the previous editions of the Pakistan Super League. With players like Chris Lynn and Fakhar Zaman already in the squad, Lahore will be hoping to snatch AB in the draft and make Lahore the most potent batting side in PSL.
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