Lahore Qalandars suffers a major blow in the upcoming PSL 9 Campaign after their star player, Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the tournament due to an injury.
The Afghanistan superstar will not be available this season in the PSL due after undergoing a lower-back surgery.
The Leg spinner did not take part in the Australian Big Bash League, South Africa’s (SA20) and in the ongoing three match T20I series between Afghanistan and India, which India is currently leading 2-0.
Check out the full PSL 9 squads here.
Addressing the injury problems, the Afghan head coach Jonathan Trott said, “It is a case of us making sure that we are really careful with his back.”
“Rashid is such a pivotal player for Afghanistan, we have to make sure he is 100% ready and not rush him back from that type of surgery. It is important to give him the right time and he is working extremely hard and he is here with the team.” Trott confirmed that Rashid Khan is travelling with the Afghan team.
While talking about the recovery and rehabilitation process of his injury, Trott said, “He is very passionate and dedicated to the Afghan national side.”
“When he is ready, he will be the first name on the playing XI. He has got a few more appointments and check-ups to make sure everything is okay. So, there is no real time frame.” Trott added.
It should be noted that the PSL 9 season will kickstart from 17 February where two-time defending champions Lahore Qalandars will face Islamabad United without their star leg-spinner and a lethal weapon in their bowling armory.
The matches will be played in four different venues of Pakistan, including Multan, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. The Final will be held on March 18 in Karachi.
Lahore Qalandars Squad:
| Platinum | Diamond | Gold | Silver | Emerging | Supplementary |
| Shaheen Afridi | Haris Rauf | Zaman Khan | Rashid Khan | Jahandad Khan | Shai Hope |
| Fakhar Zaman | David Weise | Sikandar Raza | Mirza Tahir Baig | Syed Faridoun Mahmoud | Kamran Ghulam |
| Rassie Van der Dussen | Sahibzada Farhan | Abdullah Shafique | Dan Lawrence | ||
| Ahsan Bhatti | |||||
| M.Imran Jr. |
