Picture Credit: Twitter
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has withdrawn from the 7th edition of PSL after he was demoted from the Platinum category during the players draft. The 39-year old announced on his YouTube channel that he didn’t want to play in the PSL 7, which begins from January 27 in Karachi. Notably, the top-order batter is the second-highest run-getter in PSL history with 1820 runs in 69 matches.
It is to be noted that the players who play in the Pakistan Super League are divided into the Gold, Silver and Platinum category based on their performance in the T20 League. Kamran Akmal, who last played an international game in 2017, was initially demoted from the platinum category to the gold category by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Whereas players like Mohammed Rizwan, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf were promoted to the Platinum category which is the top most, owing to their contribution in the T20 World Cup where Pakistan reached the semi-final stage.
On Sunday, the draft process took place in Lahore. However, the veteran wicket-keeper remained unpicked in the gold category and was eventually picked up by Peshawar Zalmi in the silver category. Speaking on his YouTube Channel, the cricketer requested Peshawar Zalmi to release him. He then went on to withdraw his name from the PSL season as a whole.
Check out Kamran Akmal's tweet here:
"Please release me because I don’t deserve to play in this category. The lower categories are better suited for youngsters. I don’t want Peshawar Zalmi's sympathy just because I have played for them in the past six seasons," Akmal said. The cricketer went on to add that he was shocked to see his demotion from Platinum to Gold despite having a good record.
Kamran went on to thank the franchise and lauded the management and players involved. Kamran Akmal admitted that being drafted into a lower category was difficult to accept for him. The 39-year-old veteran even mentioned that he does not want the sympathy of the Peshawar Zalmi franchise as money has never been the issue for him.
Meanwhile, his brother, Umar Akmal was picked by Quetta Gladiators in the silver category ahead of PSL 7.