PSL 11: Saim Ayub bats during rain amid rough form

LAHORE: Hyderabad Kingsmen's Saim Ayub was seen engaged in batting practice despite heavy rain at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground here on Tuesday.

The video was shared by Kingsmen's captain Marnus Labuschagne, in which Ayub looked unfazed by the heavy downpour and remained focused on honing his batting readiness as the tournament's debutants gear up for their third PSL 11 match, scheduled against Multan Sultans at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

Notably, Ayub, who was roped in by the Kingsmen for a whopping Rs126 million as a direct signing ahead of the players' draft last month, has thus far been unable to justify his price tag, as the left-handed opener could accumulate 25 runs in two matches against defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators, respectively.

The 23-year-old could muster 17 in Kingsmen's campaign opener against Qalandars, while making eight against the Gladiators in the subsequent fixture.

His inability to fire up the order has also cost the Kingsmen significantly, as the tournament debutants lost each of their first two matches and currently sit at the bottom of the standings.

For the unversed, Ayub has been under stern scrutiny since the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, during which he could pile up 70 runs in five innings at a dismal average of 14, with his best score of 24 which came against the Netherlands in Pakistan's campaign opener.

He was subsequently rested from Pakistan's squad for their recent three-match away ODI series against Bangladesh, which the hosts won 2-1.

Hyderabad Kingsmen squad for PSL 11

Marnus Labuschagne (c), Hassan Khan (vc), Usman Khan, Akif Javed, Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Ali, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Glenn Maxwell, Hammad Azam, Riley Meredith, Sharjeel Khan, Asif Mehmood, Hunain Shah, Rizwan Mehmood, Saad Ali, Tayyab Arif, Maheesh Theekshana and Ahmed Hussain.