Pakistani pacer Ihsanullah announces "boycott and retirement" from PSL at age 22 after being ignored in PSL 2025 draft

Published at :January 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM

Modified at :January 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM

(Courtesy : PCB)

Ihsanullah has represented Pakistan in five international games across formats.

Young Pakistan pacer Ihsanullah has announced his retirement from the Pakistan Super League (PSL), saying that he is “boycotting” the league after going unsold in the PSL 2025 draft.

The 22-year-old made his international debut against Afghanistan in March 2023 at Sharjah and has since played five international matches, including four T20Is and one ODI.

His career took a dramatic turn after he sustained an elbow injury in 2023 that kept him out of action for an extended period. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) handled his injury poorly, which led to the stepping down of the Chief Medical Officer after an independent inquiry.

Ihsanullah made his PSL debut for Multan Sultans in 2022. The right-arm pacer took 23 wickets in 14 games in the tournament at an average of 16 and an economy rate of 7.55. He was one of the quickest Pakistani bowler in the league.

Ihsanullah announces retirement from PSL

After going unsold in the PSL 10 draft, Ihsanullah announced on Public News channel that he is officially retiring from the PSL. He expressed his desire to play for Pakistan but stated that he would pursue this goal by performing in domestic tournaments rather than participating in the PSL.

He said, “I just don’t want to play franchise cricket anymore. It’s over after today. I completely boycott it and retire from the PSL. I won’t be seen in the PSL again. I want to represent Pakistan by performing in domestic cricket, not by playing in the PSL,“

He also responded to comments made by Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen, who suggested that his pace had decreased after the injury. Ihsanullah vowed to get his pace back to high speeds.

He added, “My goal is to make them chase after me, and I need to perform like that. I’ll bowl at a pace of 150-160, and those who have said I’m a 130-135 bowler, in one and a half months, I’ll show them that I wasn’t the same bowler who played in PSL 8 and got injured. I’ll look much better than that.”

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