PSL 2023 Draft: India-born cricketer Jaskaran Malhotra registers to play in Pakistan Super League
Chandigarh-born cricketer Jaskaran Malhotra has registered himself for the upcoming PSL 2023 Draft. He could become one of the few Indian-origin players to participate in the Pakistan Super League if any of the teams show interest in his services.
The preliminary list of players for the PSL 2023 Draft came out earlier on Saturday. According to a report by Cricket Pakistan, big names of world cricket like Wanindu Hasaranga, Shakib Al Hasan, David Miller, Dawid Malan, Reece Topley, Dasun Shanaka, Martin Guptill, and Odean Smith have registered themselves for the league.
All eight names mentioned above are a part of the Platinum Category in the PSL 2023 Draft.
Veteran international stars feature in the PSL 2023 Draft categories
Veteran overseas cricketers, namely Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riaz, Angelo Mathews, Gulbadin Naib, Cameron Delport, Upul Tharanga, Sean Williams, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, and Mohammad Shahzad are in different categories in the draft.
Pakistan-born Zimbabwean player Sikandar Raza is in the Diamond category alongside Ireland's Josh Little and England's Jason Roy.
How many Indian players have played in PSL?
Not a single Indian cricketer has played in the PSL before, but there have been a few Indian-origin players who have been a part of this tournament. Samit Patel, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, and Ravi Bopara are the four Indian-origin players who have played in the Pakistan Super League.
It will be interesting to see if Jaskaran Malhotra joins this list of players. He was born in Chandigarh but represents the USA in international cricket. Malhotra came into the limelight when he smashed six sixes in an over during an ODI match against Papua New Guinea in 2021.
The date for the PSL Draft 2023 will soon be announced. The tournament will take place from February 9 to March 19 across four venues in Pakistan.