PSL 2025 FAQs - what the six teams need to do in the final stretch
What do the six PSL 2025 squads look like after the disruption, and where do their campaigns stand at this stage?
Danyal Rasool
16-May-2025
Rilee Rossouw, architect of Quetta Gladiators' 2019 triumph, has opted to return • PCB
Just over a week after PSL 2025 was suspended, it resumes on Saturday just as the final stretch gets underway. There are eight games to be played, with four hugely significant league-phase games in Rawalpindi before the playoffs in Lahore. ESPNcricinfo looks at the state of each team, and how they shape up for the home stretch.
Gladiators are arguably best placed. Having already
secured a top-two berth for the playoffs, they know precisely the path they will need to tread if they are to replicate their heroics from 2019, when they won the title. The one game they have left in the league phase comes against the already-eliminated Multan Sultans, giving them an opportunity to test out a fresh team composition.
And on that note, too, they have perhaps done better than most.
Rilee Rossouw, their greatest ever overseas player and an architect of their 2019 triumph, has opted to return for what remains of the league. As has
Finn Allen, maintaining to a large extent their top order composition. While significant overseas names like
Kusal Mendis,
Sean Abbott and
Mark Chapman do not make the trip back, Gladiators have bolstered their ranks with
Dinesh Chandimal,
Gulbadin Naib and
Avishka Fernando.
Karachi Kings' superstar captain David Warner will continue to lead the side•PCB
Amid all the uncertainty over the league's postponement, the one thing everyone seemed to be sure of was that Kings' superstar captain had no qualms about returning.
David Warner will continue to lead a side that has seen a transformation from the last three seasons, when they missed the playoffs, to sitting on the cusp of finishing inside the top two. They have two games left, coming against sides that would be desperate for the points: Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, who are both fighting to finish inside the top four.
Aside from Warner, Kings have
Mohammad Nabi.
Tim Seifert and
James Vince returning too. The quartet formed the core of Kings' playing overseas roster for much of the earlier part of the season.
Kane Williamson will not return, but Kings have been strengthened by bringing in Scotland top-order batter
George Munsey, described eye-catchingly on his ESPNcricinfo profile as "the reverse-sweeping demon of the Associate world".
Ben Dwarshuis is one of the key players who have returned to Islamabad United's ranks•PCB
What's happened to the best side in PSL history? Having stormed to the title last year, they began 2025 in the same vein, winning the first five matches to register a ten-game winning streak across seasons, the best in the league's history. They rested five players for the next game, and suddenly, they couldn't buy a point. The last four games have been relatively comprehensive defeats, leaving them on a precarious ten points with the third-worst net run-rate and just one game to go - against Kings.
However, United have built a reputation as a side that is well managed, and, just as importantly, one that drafts exceptionally well. They have perhaps been the best of all six sides at bringing in the players they require.
Ben Dwarshuis returns, while
Rassie van der Dussen, unavailable for the first part of the season, will now be a part of their squad.
Alex Hales returns, while allrounder
James Neesham and fast bowler
Tymal Mills also come into the roster.
Lahore Qalandars need to win their game against Peshawar Zalmi•PCB
Qalandars, much like United, found themselves relatively comfortable until two-thirds of the way into the season, but two rain-affected games, one of which ended in a no-result even as they lost the other, now leave them in a virtual must-win knockout before the playoffs. Nine points from nine games mean they need to win their game against Zalmi on Sunday, or they will not be a part of the playoffs - which take place in Lahore - for an unprecedented seventh time in ten seasons.
They pulled out all the stops to ensure
Sikandar Raza came back to join them for that one game on Sunday. He has a Test match to play against England at Trent Bridge that starts just four days later, so he will not be a part of the playoffs, even if Qalandars make it. With
David Wiese and
Sam Billings also not returning, Qalandars have turned to
Shakib al Hasan - who has not played competitively since November last year - and
Bhanuka Rajapaksa - who has not played competitive cricket since January.
Mitchell Owen will not return to the PSL and instead play in the PSL•Getty Images
Zalmi's record of making every single playoff in the league's history is under threat. For the first half of the league, they looked like they would have fallen out of contention by this stage, but three wins in the last four have helped them cling on. Sitting fifth, one point behind Qalandars, they have the advantage of a game in hand. Victory against Qalandars will guarantee them passage to the playoffs, but they also have a game against Kings, which offers them a slightly more circuitous route, with net run-rate potentially entering the mix.
They have not managed to hold on to
Mitchell Owen amid interest from the IPL, but do bring back
Tom Kohler-Cadmore, one of Zalmi's mainstays over the years.
Luke Wood, the second-most economical fast bowler this year, will also be part of what remains of their campaign, as will big-hitting Australian
Max Bryant. While
Alzarri Joseph and
Nahid Rana will be absent, Afghanistan top-order batter
Najibullah Zadran returns.
Dilshan Madushanka is one of the new recruits for Multan Sultans•ICC/Getty Images
What Sultans really care about is the end of this season. Already eliminated with one of the worst campaigns in the history of the PSL, they sit rock bottom, having lost eight of their nine games. At one stage, it appeared they would bring in no overseas player at all and, indeed, none of their overseas players from their original roster will come back.
However, with the league requiring a minimum of three overseas players per game, they brought in Australian batter
Josh Brown and spinner
Peter Hatzoglou. In keeping with the season they have had, Brown has pulled up injured, and will be replaced by Sri Lanka fast bowler
Dilshan Madushanka. ESPNcricinfo understands Sultans will also bring in a batter, though they are yet to confirm the name.
Quetta Gladiators
Islamabad United
