Islamabad United have not retained their star foreign batter Alex Hales for the upcoming edition of PSL due to his unavailability for the entire season.
PSL franchises have announced their retentions and trades ahead of the draft for the eighth edition of the league. While most teams retained their star players, fans were shocked to know that Islamabad United did not retain their star English opener.
The explosive opener is in supreme form with the bat making him the most in-demand player in any T20 league. However, Islamabad United have not kept a slot for Alex Hales as he will not be available to play most of the matches.
Moreover, the English opener is eyeing inclusion in the national team for the ODI World Cup 2023. Therefore, seeing his national duties, Islamabad United have released Alex Hales for the PSL 8.
According to sources, Alex Hales is fully focused on becoming a regular feature in England’s limited-overs team and he might not take part at all in the PSL. His availability for the tournament will be confirmed within the next week.
It is pertinent to mention here that Islamabad United can still sign up Alex Hales in the draft if any other team picks him up using their ‘Right to Match’ card. Alex Hales had donned the Islamabad United jersey in PSL 3,4, 6 and 7.