PSL 2024: Who Will Replace Reece Topley In Multan Sultans Squad In Pakistan Super League Season 9?

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Multan Sultans suffered a double blow on Monday (February 12) after it was revealed that England pacer Reece Topley and Pakistan's Ishanullah will miss the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024.

While Ihsanullah has a long-standing elbow injury and him being ruled out was inevitable, Topley's absence, announced by Sultans owner Ali Tareen, is due to England rejecting a NOC for the pacer's participation in PSL, citing workload management.

"[Topley] hasn't received his NOC [no-objection certificate from England] and is out of the PSL," the Multan Sultans owner Tareen had posted on X on Sunday (February 11).

Topley, who hasn't featured in the PSL so far, played 12 games in the SA20 with Durban Super Giants and is also scheduled to play the IPL 2024 with Royal Challengers Bangalore. So, England wanted to keep him a little fresh in the run to the T20 World Cup in June.

With the season 9 of PSL scheduled to start on Saturday (February 17), Multan Sultans will be keen to add depth to their pace bowling attack after losing two of them ahead of the tournament.

The Sultans currently have England's Chris Jordan on the supplementary list, while Shanawaz Dahani, Mohammad Ali, Abbas Afridi, David Willey, Mohammed Shezad and Aftab Ibrahim are the other pace options in the squad.

Despite the depth in the pace attack, Multan Sultans will definitely be looking to add an international calibre quick into their squad for PSL 2024. Here is who they may look at as possible replacement for Topley:

Who will replace Reece Topley in Multan Sultans squad for PSL 2024?

According to a report from ESPNCricinfo, the Sultans failed in their approach for South Africa's left-arm speedster Nandre Burger after South Africa would not grant a NOC to the quick.

The same report also added that Sri Lanka's Dushmanta Chameera was also looked at before the right-arm quick suffered an injury, ruling him out of action. They also add that Topley's compatriot Olly Stone is believed to be one of the options for Sultans.

Multan Sultans can also look at Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi as a left-arm pace option should they fail in the approach to land Stone, who featured in the recent SA20 and ILT20 seasons. Farooqi, however, will be unavailable for the start of the season due to national commitments.