Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen revealed its biggest signing on Thursday, announcing that they have roped in Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for the upcoming 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), set to begin from March 26 to May 3.
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.
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 (Rs126 million), Akif Javed (Rs196 million), Maaz Sadaqat (Rs35 million), Marnus Labuschagne (Direct Signing), Glenn Maxwell (Direct Signing), Usman Khan (Rs46.2 million), Mohammad Ali (Rs21.5 million), Kusal Perera (Rs31 million), Muhammad Irfan Khan (PKR 29 million), Hassan Khan (Rs18.5 million), Shayan Jahangir (Rs6,000,000), Ottniel Baartman (Rs11 million), Hammad Azam (Rs6,000,000), Riley Meredith (Rs42 million), Sharjeel Khan (Rs6,000,000), Asif Mehmood (Rs6,000,000), Hunain Shah (Rs6,000,000), Rizwan Mehmood (Rs6,000,000), Saad Ali (Rs6,000,000) and Tayyab Arif (Rs6,000,000).
