Naseem Shah, Pakistan’s young pacer, was back in the nets on Wednesday, bowling without any discomfort ahead of the upcoming Pakistan Super League season 9.
During the 2023 Asia Cup against India, the 20-year-old encountered a shoulder injury that required surgery, keeping him sidelined for rehabilitation. Now, after four months, Naseem has returned to full form, displaying both inswing and outswing confidently in practice.
He’s set to represent Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League Season 9 following a trade between Quetta Gladiators and United in December. Despite high demand from franchises like Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi, Naseem joined Islamabad, where his brothers Hunain Shah and Obaid Shah were also picked during the PSL 9 Draft.
The Islamabad United squad includes notable names like Shadab Khan, Tymal Mills, Azam Khan, Alex Hales, and others.
PSL 9 is scheduled to kick off next month with Lahore Qalandars aiming to defend their title. The league, spanning from February 17 to March 17, 2024, will be held across Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan.
Karachi will host 11 matches, followed by Lahore and Rawalpindi with 9 games each, and Multan hosting five matches.
The proposed schedule for PSL 9 outlines matches starting from February 17, including games between Qalandars and United in Lahore, Gladiators versus Zalmi in Lahore, Sultans against Kings in Multan, and various matchups throughout the tournament, culminating in the final set for March 17 in Karachi.
Pakistan Super League season 9 schedule:
Feb 17: Qalandars vs United in Lahore
Feb 18: Gladiators vs Zalmi in Lahore and Sultans vs Kings in Multan
Feb 19: Qalandars vs Gladiators in Lahore
Feb 20: Sultans vs United in Multan
Feb 21: Zalmi vs Kings in Lahore and Sultans vs Qalandars in Multan
Feb 22: Gladiators vs United in Lahore
Feb 23: Sultans vs Zalmi in Multan
Feb 24: Qalandars vs Kings in Lahore
Feb 25: Sultans vs Gladiators in Multan and Qalandars vs Zalmi in Lahore
Feb 26: Zalmi vs United in Lahore
Feb 27: Qalandars vs Sultans in Lahore
Feb 28: Kings vs United in Karachi
Feb 29: Rest day
Mar 1: Zalmi vs Qalandars and United vs Gladiators in Pindi
Mar 2: Kings vs Sultans in Karachi
Mar 3: United vs Zalmi in Pindi
Mar 4: Kings vs Gladiators in Karachi
Mar 5: Zalmi vs Sultans in Pindi
Mar 6: United vs Qalandars and Gladiators vs Kings in Pindi
Mar 7: United vs Kings in Pindi
Mar 8: Zalmi vs Gladiators in Pindi
Mar 9: Kings vs Qalandars in Karachi
Mar 10: United vs Sultans and Gladiators vs Qalandars in Pindi
Mar 11: Kings vs Zalmi in Karachi
Mar 12: Gladiators vs Sultans in Karachi
Mar 13: Rest day
Mar 14: Qualifier (Team 1 vs Team 2) and Eliminator 1 (Team 3 vs Team 4) in Karachi
Mar 15: Eliminator 2 (Eliminator winner vs Qualifier runner-up) in Karachi
Mar 16: Rest day
Mar 17: Final in Karachi