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In a significant setback for the Multan Sultans, England‘s fast bowler Olly Stone has been ruled out of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 due to a groin injury.
The setback in form of Olly Stone
The unfortunate incident took place during their inaugural match against Islamabad United on February 20, compelling Stone to exit the game prematurely after bowling just 3.4 overs and conceding 28 runs. He left the field without completing the remaining two balls of his fourth over. Stone, brought in as a replacement for Reece Topley, who withdrew from the tournament, will no longer be part of the PSL 9 roster due to this injury.
Stone’s replacement by Multan Sultans for remaining PSL 2024
The Sultans, currently leading the points table with twelve points from six victories, were since then in search of a suitable replacement to maintain their winning momentum. To fill the void left by Stone’s exit, the Multan franchise has now turned to left-arm fast bowler Richard Ngarava from Zimbabwe.
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Credentials of the substitute player
With 94 wickets in 88 T20 matches since his debut in 2016, Ngarava becomes the third cricketer from Zimbabwe to participate in the ongoing PSL, joining Sikandar Raza of Lahore Qalandars and Blessing Muzarabani of Karachi Kings. Notably, Ngarava arrives with an impressive performance in the recently-concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where he represented Sylhet Strikers, taking ten wickets in six innings with best figures of 4/30 in four overs. Prior to the PSL, Ngarava had further featured in International League T20 (ILT20) and Lankan Premier League (LPL).
Sultans’ winning streak
Currently at the top of the points table, Multan became the first team to qualify for the playoffs after defeating Karachi by 20 runs in their previous outing. They are now set to face Peshawar Zalmi, led by Babar Azam, at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (March 5).
