PSL 9: Karachi Kings appoint Phil Simmons as head coach

Karachi Kings have appointed former West Indies head coach Phil Simmons as their head coach for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9.

The 60-year-old is a World Cup-winning coach with West Indies and has also coached Zimbabwe, Ireland, Afghanistan and various T20 franchises.

"The franchise proudly welcomes the esteemed Phil Simmons as their Head Coach, marking a significant step in their ongoing revitalization and restructuring process," Kings said in a statement.

Karachi is not unknown territory to the new head coach of Kings' as he has played a World Cup 1987 match in the city.

"Returning to Karachi, a city I hold dear from my playing days, feels like a homecoming. I am thrilled to join forces with Haider Azhar and the rest of the team's think tank, drawing from the rich cricketing heritage of this country," Simmons said.

"We are eager to move ahead with our rebuilding and restart process of Karachi Kings and establish this franchise as a match-winning unit," he added.

During his cricket career, Phil Simmons has scored 4,677 runs and picked up 87 wickets. He had a reputation for being an expert limited-over format player.

It must be noted that Karachi have made few trades ahead of the draft. Skipper Imad Wasim was traded to Islamabad United with Hassan Ali coming to the Kings.

While, Shan Masood was also traded from Multan Sultans.

Here are their retentions:

Karachi Kings (8): James Vince and Hasan Ali (Diamond), Shan Masood (Brand Ambassador), Shoaib Malik (Mentor) and Tabraiz Shamsi (all Gold), Mir Hamza (Successful relegation request) and Muhammad Akhlaq (both Silver), Muhammad Irfan Khan (Emerging).

Remember, the draft of PSL season nine will take place at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

Earlier, as reported by Geo News, the PSL schedule will be confirmed on the date of the draft. PCB is in favour of hosting these matches across four venues - Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.

The teams will start gathering on February 12 where they take part in practice sessions and matches across four days.

The event will start from February 17 in Lahore with defending champions Lahore Qalandars facing Islamabad United in the opening match. Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings will play in Multan on February 18.

Meanwhile, the first game in Karachi is recommended between Karachi Kings and Islamabad United on February 28. Matches in Rawalpindi will start on March 1 with United playing Quetta Gladiators. Six double-headers will also be played during the event.

11 matches will take place in Karachi, nine each in Lahore and Rawalpindi and five in Multan.

Three playoff matches and the final will take place in Karachi, with the final scheduled on March 17.