Three Sussex players picked for 2019 Pakistan Super League

Three Sussex players have been selected for next year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) in today’s draft.

Phil Salt was picked up by Islamabad United during the gold round of selections, Laurie Evans was chosen as a silver round pick by the tournament’s as yet unnamed ‘sixth team’ and Chris Jordan returned to Peshawar Zalmi as a supplementary round pick.

Salt might have expected to be selected by Lahore Qalandars, the team he has represented in two competitions already this winter, but in the end it was the reigning champions that got to the explosive keeper-batsman first.

Delighted to be joining @IsbUnited for the @pslt20 cannot wait to get out there 🏏!! #ISLU #UnitedWeWin

— Phil Salt (@PhilSalt1) November 20, 2018

Evans has become hot property in the world of the T20 leagues after topping the run-scoring chart in this year’s Vitality Blast. The PSL will be his third T20 tournament of the winter after the Afghanistan Premier League last month and the Bangladesh Premier League that starts in January. The 31-year-old is also taking part in the T10 League that starts tomorrow in the United Arab Emirates.

Next year’s PSL will be Jordan’s third overall and his third with the Zalmi. He was part of the teams that won the 2017 edition and reached the final this year. The England international is now confirmed to appear in three overseas tournaments this winter, the T10 League, Australia’s Big Bash League and the PSL.

In total, 633 players were part of Tuesday’s draft.

The 2019 PSL is scheduled to begin on Thursday 14th February, with the final set for Sunday 17th March in Karachi. Eight games in total are planned to take place in Pakistan, with the remaining fixtures being played in the United Arab Emirates.

Six teams will contest the tournament; Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators and a sixth team that will be named once a buyer for the franchise that replaces the defunct Multan Sultans is found.