Best playing 11 of PSL 2024 ft. Babar Azam & Shadab Khan
After a dramatic final that went to the last ball, the ninth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) concluded on March 18, with Islamabad United defeating Multan Sultans by two wickets to win their third PSL title.
After winning the toss, the Multan Sultans decided to bat first and managed to post a decent score of 159, thanks to a half-century by Usman Khan. He was well-supported by Iftikhar Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 32 off 20 balls.
In response, Martin Guptill scored a half-century, but the real task came in front of Imad Wasim and Naseem Shah. In the last two overs, Islamabad United had to chase 19 runs with three wickets in hand. Imad hit two boundaries in the penultimate over, and all the collective efforts saw Islamabad United needing one run off the final ball. Hunanin Shah, who remained composed, hit a boundary on the last ball, ensuring the third title for Shabad Khan’s team.
After 34 matches that lasted for almost a month, the tournament came to a close. Now is the time to look at the top players and select the best possible playing XI in PSL 2024.
Openers - Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Leading the way in this XI are the opening partners of Pakistan’s T20I team, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Peshawar Zalmi's captain, Babar Azam, had a fantastic run throughout the season and remained the top run-getter in PSL 2024. With an average of 56.9 and a remarkable strike rate of 142.4, the former Pakistan captain amassed 569 runs in 11 innings, including five fifties and one century.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan had a decent outing in this year's PSL. The captain of the Multan Sultans, having led his team to the final, managed to score 407 runs in 12 innings at an average of 33.9, including four fifties.
Middle order - Rassie van der Dussen, Usman Khan, and Iftikhar Ahmed
Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen had an outstanding PSL season and walks at No. 3 on the list of the best playing XI of PSL 2024. With a strike rate of 154.89 and an average of 72.8, Lahore Qalandars' middle-order batter scored 364 runs, with three fifties and a century in seven innings.
The 28-year-old, uncapped player, Usman Khan, walks in at No. 4. The Multan Sultans batter had an impressive season with the bat. He ended the tournament as the second-highest run-getter, scoring 430 runs in seven innings with a monster average of 107.5. He struck two centuries, the most by any player in PSL 2024.
Iftikhar Ahmed was comfortably one of the best-attacking batters in PSL 2024. The Multan Sultans player scored 259 runs in 11 innings with an average of 464.7 and an impressive strike rate of 193.2. Iftikhar was also second on the list of most sixes by a batsman in PSL season 9.
All-rounders - Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan (c), and Imad Wasim
All-rounders play an instrumental role for any side, and Saim Ayub was that player for Peshawar Zalmi. Ayub scored 345 runs in 11 innings with a strike rate of 157 and hit the most number of sixes in PSL season 9. Not only with the bat, Ayub also had a job to do with the ball. The off-spinner spun the ball both ways and picked up eight wickets in the tournament. Ayub walks in the middle order despite having opened the batting for Peshawar.
Winning skipper Shadab Khan had a season to remember. He picked up 14 wickets in 12 matches, with three of those coming in the all-important final against the Multan Sultans. Shabad also had a decent outing with the bat; scoring 305 runs with a strike rate of 142.5 and guiding his team to the third PSL title.
Imad Wasim had a below-par tournament until it came to knockout matches. The Islamabad cricketer won the Player of the Match awards in Eliminator 1, 2, and the final as well. Imad scored a brilliant half-century in Eliminator 2 against Peshawar Zalmi before taking a five-wicket haul in the final against Multan Sultans and helping his team win the championship.
Bowlers - Usama Mir, Mohammad Ali, and David Willey
Multan Sultans' leg spinner, Usama Mir, who had an ordinary World Cup in India last year, was the highest wicket-taker in PSL 2024. Usama picked up 21 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 15.8. The young leg-spinner had a great role to play in taking Multan to the final.
Another Multan player who had an outstanding season with the ball was Mohammad Ali. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in PSL 2024, behind Usama Mir. The right-arm fast-medium had some great success, as he scalped 19 wickets in 12 matches and played a key role alongside Usama in the Multan Sultans' bowling department.
The last player on the list is David Willey. The left-arm fast-medium from England had a successful season. Willey was fourth on the list of highest-wicket-takers, with 15 scalps to his name. Willey showed good control in the powerplay overs and had a very decent economy of 7.4 in 11 matches.
Best playing XI of PSL 2024: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan (c), Imad Wasim, Usama Mir, Mohammad Ali, and David Willey.
Who makes it to your playing XI from PSL 2024? Have your say in the comments section below!