KARACHI: Debutants Rawalpindi have been dealt a significant blow ahead of the historic 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Australian hard-hitter Jake Fraser-McGurk officially withdrawing from the tournament.

The franchise confirmed the departure of the young batter on social media, citing personal reasons. A replacement is expected to be announced shortly.

“Jake Fraser-McGurk has opted out of the tournament due to personal reasons. We respect his decision and wish him well. His replacement will be announced soon,” the franchise wrote on X.

Though the post was later removed from the team’s official account, it was quote-retweeted by franchise owner Ahsan Tahir, who expressed his disappointment while offering his best wishes.

“Unfortunate, but wishing JFM the very best and good luck from Pakistan and Rawalpindi,” Tahir wrote.

Fraser-McGurk, who has represented Australia in eight T20 internationals, has become one of the most sought-after batters in franchise cricket.

He has featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Major League Cricket (MLC) and the Big Bash League (BBL).

The right-hander had been placed in the highest base price category—Rs 42 million—for the PSL’s inaugural player auction, held at the Expo Centre in Lahore. However, he failed to attract a buyer during the main or accelerated rounds and initially went unsold.

He was later signed directly by Rawalpindi, joining a contingent of experienced internationals including Sam Billings, Daryl Mitchell, Laurie Evans and Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain.

The upcoming PSL season, scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3, will feature eight teams, including two new entrants—Rawalpindi and Hyderabad Kingsmen—competing across 44 matches in 39 days.

Defending champions Lahore Qalandars will face Hyderabad Kingsmen in the opening match at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 26.

The tournament will be played across six venues, with Faisalabad and Peshawar hosting PSL fixtures for the first time alongside Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.

Gaddafi Stadium will host the most matches (15), followed by Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (11), Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad (seven) and National Bank Stadium in Karachi (six).

Each team will play ten matches, with the top four advancing to the playoffs. The final is scheduled for May 3 at Gaddafi Stadium, with a reserve day set for May 4.

Rawalpindi squad:

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Sam Billings, Jalat Khan, Yasir Khan, Naseem Shah, Rishad Hossain, Daryl Mitchell, Mohammad Amir, Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Dian Forrester, Laurie Evans, Asif Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Fawad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Shahzaib Khan and Saad Masood.

RawalPINDIZ’s PSL 11 match schedule:

March 28 – Peshawar Zalmi vs RawalPINDIZ at Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar
April 2 – RawalPINDIZ vs Karachi Kings at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
April 4 – RawalPINDIZ vs Islamabad United at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
April 6 – Multan Sultans vs RawalPINDIZ at Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan
April 10 – Quetta Gladiators vs RawalPINDIZ at National Bank Stadium, Karachi
April 16 – Hyderabad Kingsmen vs RawalPINDIZ at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
April 18 – Lahore Qalandars vs RawalPINDIZ at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
April 21 – RawalPINDIZ vs Multan Sultans at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
April 23 – RawalPINDIZ vs Islamabad United at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
April 26 – RawalPINDIZ vs Peshawar Zalmi at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi