Rawalpindi boost PSL11 squad with mega direct signing

The renamed franchise of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Rawalpindi has directly signed Australia opener Jake Fraser-McGurk for the landmark season 11, set to start on March 26.

McGurk, 23, is a destructive top-order batter with his ability to hit the ball long and has been a prominent name around the globe in the T20 franchise circuit.

The right-handed batter has played eight T20Is for Australia.

The announcement was revealed following the historic PSL Player Auction held in Lahore on February 10.

“From Down Under straight to streets of Rawalpindi. We’ve signed the most destructive young talent in the world as our Direct Signing,” the caption of the franchise, which is yet to be officially named, wrote.

“Jake Fraser-McGurk is officially a Pindi Boy,” it added.

He remained unpicked and failed to attract buyers in both the main and accelerated rounds of the auction, despite being listed at a base price of Rs 4.2 million.

However, his signing fee has not been disclosed yet.

For the unversed, Multan Sultans was bought by Walee Technologies with a record bid of PKR 2.45 billion, the highest in PSL history, and subsequently rebranded the team as Rawalpindi.

The franchise retained former Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan in the Platinum category for PKR 5.60 crore.

England’s hard-hitting batter Sam Billings was picked in the Diamond category for PKR 3.08 crore, while pacer Zaman Khan was placed in the Gold category for PKR 1.12 crore.

Young batter Yasir Khan completes the retained list in the Silver category for PKR 60 lakh.

Rawalpindi Squad for PSL 11

Mohammad Rizwan, Sam Billings, Zaman Khan, Yasir Khan, Naseem Shah, Rishad Hossain, Daryl Mitchell, Mohammad Amir, Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Dian Forrestor, Laurie Evans, Asif Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Fawad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Jake Fraser-McGurk