PSL8: Shahnawaz Dahani ruled out, replaced by Muhammad Ilyas
In a major setback to Multan Sultans, their star fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani has been ruled out of the rest of the Pakistan Super League, and has been replaced by fast bowler Muhammad Ilyas.
Dahani, currently one of the best pacers in the Pakistan cricket circuit, was ruled out due to a fracture in his index finger. He was hit on the finger during their match against Lahore Qalandars.
The 24-year-old pacer has been a consistent performer for the Multans over the years, bagging 55 wickets in 41 PSL matches.
Multan Sultans, who finished as the runners-up last year, began their campaign on February 13 against Lahore Qalandars, losing the game by just one run.
Batting first, the Qalandars posted a total of 175 runs on the board on the back of a half century from Fakhar Zaman. The opening batsman scored 66 off 42 which laid the foundation for the decent target. The Sultans began the chase well, on the back of a 50-ball 75 from Mohammed Rizwan. However, they eventually fell short of the target by one run.
Dahani had an off day in the game, leaking 40 runs in his four overs while picking a wicket. They will play their next game against Quetta Gladiators in Multan on February 15.
Ilyas, meanwhile, has previously played for Karachi Kings. Overall in 54 T20s across tournaments, the young pace bowler has taken 58 wickets. He was also impressive in the recent domestic List A games.
PSL 8 began on February 13 and will conclude with the final match on March 13. Each team will play every other team twice in the league stage of the tournament in a double round robin.
After the league stage, the top four teams will qualify for the playoff stage, which will include the Qualifier, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and the final.