Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen sign Glenn Maxwell for PSL 11

KARACHI: Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen on Thursday announced the signing of Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for the upcoming 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3.

The franchise announced on their social media handle that they have signed the dominant Australian batter.

Maxwell has been one of Australia’s most dominant performers in the T20I format. 

In 129 matches, he has scored 2,897 runs at a strike rate of 158.42, including 12 half-centuries and five centuries, with a highest score of 145*. He has also claimed 49 wickets with his off-spin.

The right-handed batter brings vast franchise experience, having featured in competitions such as the Big Bash League (BBL), Indian Premier League (IPL), The Hundred and the Vitality Blast. 

Across 502 T20 matches, Maxwell has amassed 10,986 runs at a strike rate of 154.16, registering 58 fifties and eight centuries, while also taking 196 wickets.

He is set to make his PSL debut this season and is expected to add firepower and experience to the Kingsmen’s squad.

Earlier, on February 6, Australia’s top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne was also named as a direct signing by the franchise.

For the unversed, the PSL player auction — the first in the league’s history — was held at the Expo Centre on Wednesday, where all eight franchises finalised their squads. 

The auction replaced the draft system, which had been in place for the first 10 editions since the league’s inception in 2016.

The shift in the player selection model comes as the PSL prepares for expansion, with the addition of two new franchises: Sialkot Stallionz and Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen. 

The six existing teams were allowed to retain only four players each from their core squads, making squad-building a challenging task ahead of the new season.

Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen for Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11: Saim Ayub (PKR 12.6 crores), Akif Javed (PKR 1.96 crores), PKR Maaz Sadaqat (PKR 3.5 crores), Marnus Labuschagne (Direct Signing), Glenn Maxwell (Direct Signing), Usman Khan (PKR 4.62 crores), Mohammad Ali (PKR 2.15 crores), Kusal Perera (PKR 3.1 crores), Muhammad Irfan Khan (PKR 2.9 crores), Hassan Khan (PKR 1.85 crores), Shayan Jahangir (PKR 60 lacs), Ottniel Baartman (PKR 1.1 crores), Hammad Azam (PKR 60 lacs), Riley Meredith (PKR 4.2 crores), Sharjeel Khan (PKR 60 lacs), Asif Mehmood (PKR 60 lacs), Hunain Shah (PKR 60 lacs), Rizwan Mehmood (PKR 60 lacs), Saad Ali (PKR 60 lacs) and Tayyab Arif (PKR 60 lacs).