South African pacer Dale Steyn joins Islamabad United for PSL 2020
Islamabad United, owned by Leonine Global Investments through its sports entity Leonine Global Sports, has managed to bag one of the biggest fishes in the international pool of players for the 2020 Pakistan Super League.
Dale Steyn, South Africa’s most well-known and dangerous bowler, announced via Twitter that he will be joining the PSL for the first time this year and will be playing for Islamabad United.
Steyn is regarded as one of the best fast bowlers of all time and has been extremely effective in the shortest format of the game. He has 61 wickets to his name in 44 T20Is for South Africa at a stunning average of 17.50.
He is one of the most sought after players in the world and has an economy rate of 6.72 in his Indian Premier League (IPL) career which is the seventh-best in IPL history.
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Steyn’s inclusion into the side will give a huge boost to the team’s already strong bowling line-up which consists of Mohammad Sami, Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Rumman Raees, and Muhammad Musa.
Islamabad United are currently the most successful team in the PSL, having won the tournament two times already. The team were the inaugural winner in 2015 after they defeated Quetta Gladiators in the final.
Islamabad United won the tournament for the second time in the third season after they defeated Peshawar Zalmi in the final to lift the trophy.
Former captain of the franchise Misbah-ul-Haq is the current coach of the team and is also serving as the head coach and chief selector of the Pakistan national side.
This will be the first edition of the tournament which will be played in Pakistan in its entirety. The tournament is scheduled to take place between 20 February 2020 and 22 March 2020.
PCB has announced plans to host all 34 games in Lahore, Karachi, Multan, and Rawalpindi, with UAE as a back-up option. Karachi will host the opening ceremony of the tournament along with the first match, while the final of the tournament will take place in Lahore.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host five matches of PSL 2020, and the ground is also the home venue for the Islamabad United team.