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The 7th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to kick off on January 27. Since the tournament will be played in Karachi and Lahore, the players from Pakistan will be quite eager to make their mark in the marquee T20 league of the country, being played at home this year.
Considering the fact that Pakistan fell slightly short in T20 World Cup held in UAE few months back despite playing some wonderful cricket, there are few slots up for grabs in the national side. There will be few players who will be looking to push their case for selection by producing some eye-catch performances in PSL 7.
Here is a list of a few Pakistani players to watch out for in the upcoming season:
1. Hussain Talat
Peshawar Zalmi have signed the exciting all-rounder from Islamabad United and Hussain Talat will be hoping to make it big this year. The 25-year-old had a fairly decent campaign last year, where he registered 156 runs and 3 wickets in 11 outings. However, there is no doubt that he is capable of producing much more impressive performances with both bat and ball and he will be keen to do justice to his incredible talent in a new team.
2. Mohammad Ilyas
The right-arm pacer from Karachi Kings is surely going to be one of the players to watch out for this season, especially because of his ability to bowl consistently in good areas. Mohammad Ilyas played only 5 matches last season where he managed to take 8 wickets. The 22-year-old will be hoping to get a longer run this season and having worked so hard on his bowling, this could prove to be the break-through year for the talented Ilyas.
3. Mohammad Hasnain
The right-arm quick bowler from Quetta Gladiators has been one of the names in headlines in last few days. Mohammad Hasnain has made an instant impact in the ongoing season of Big Bash League where he took a triple wicket maiden on his debut for Sydney Thunder.
WATCH: Hasnain bowls an incredible triple-wicket maiden on BBL debut
He is constantly making a mark in the shortest format of the game with his consistent performances and having taken 9 wickets in 9 matches last season, Hasnain would be hoping to better his stats in PSL 2022 to push his case further ahead of other young pacers in Pakistan.
4. Khushdil Shah
The Multan Sultans batsman has been retained by the franchise for PSL 2022 and Khushdil Shah would be desperate to repay the faith shown by the management on him. The left-handed batsman amassed 165 runs in 11 matches last season at an impressive average of 41.25. He would be hoping to bat slightly higher up in the order this time around and if he gets more time at the crease, there is no doubt that Shah could prove to be the most exciting player to watch this season.
5. Azam Khan
The exciting batsman has been traded to Islamabad United this year and it will be intriguing to see how he adapts to the new environment. Azam Khan had a rather disappointing season in 2021 where he scored only 174 runs in 10 matches. But it is his raw power and incredible hitting ability which makes him a special player, the 23-year-old will need to be more consistent in order to keep knocking the doors of national selectors.