Ihsanullah does a Shahid Afridi, retires from PSL and then joins Peshawar Salmi

Published - 12 Apr 2025, 02:05 PM | Updated - 12 Apr 2025, 03:11 PM

Ihsanullah joins Peshawar Zalmi. Image Credit: X

Pakistan fast bowler Ihsanullah has made a surprising comeback to the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Just hours before the start of the PSL 2025 on Friday, April 11, Peshawar Zalmi signed Ihsanullah for the ongoing season in a last-minute move.

The right-arm pacer, known for his lightning pace, made the headlines in the PSL 2023 when he grabbed 22 wickets for Multan Sultans and impressed everyone with his 150 km/h deliveries. This performance even earned him a quick call-up to the Pakistan National Cricket Team.

Ihsanullah makes dramatic return to Pakistan Super League with Peshawar Zalmi

Sadly, Ihsanullah’s career was hit with a major setback when he picked up an elbow injury in his international debut in April 2023. His recovery was poorly handled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including a botched surgery and insufficient rehabilitation.

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This kept the bowler out of action for 21 months, leaving his future uncertain. Even Multan Sultans’ owner Ali Tareen feared that the young bowler might never bowl at his old pace again. But Ihsanullah remained determined and promised to hit 150 km/h once again within a month.

Unfortunately, neither his old team, Multan Sultans, nor Peshawar Zalmi, where he had even been given trials, picked him at the PSL 2025 draft. This disappointment led Ihsanullah to emotionally announce his retirement from the Pakistan Super League, but he reversed his decision within 24 hours, calling it a reaction made in frustration after being unsold at the auction.

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Peshawar Zalmi announces Ihsanullah's signing for PSL 10

However, in the last minute, Ihsanullah got the chance to prove his worth to his past franchise and the national selectors through the PSL 10. Actually, Peshawar Zalmi signed the express bowler in the supplementary category at the very last moment before the season opener.

The PSL franchise announced the signing of Ihsanullah in the Supplementary category on its social media handles by sharing a poster of the pacer donning Zalmi’s jersey. They captioned the post: “Right Arm Fast Bowler Ihsanullah joins the [Yellow Storm] in the Supplementary Category for [PSL X].”

Right Arm Fast Bowler Ihsan Ullah joins the #YellowStorm in Supplementary Category for #HBLPSLX 💛#Zalmi | #ZalmiXLegacy pic.twitter.com/DCsZOooLx9
— Peshawar Zalmi (@PeshawarZalmi) April 11, 2025

Fans demanded, and we delivered! 🙌

Welcome Ihsanullah to Peshawar Zalmi — the storm just got stronger! ⚡💛#Zalmi | #YellowStorm | #Haier pic.twitter.com/VjBoruUV8n
— Peshawar Zalmi (@PeshawarZalmi) April 11, 2025

Interestingly, Peshawar Zalmi has recently suffered a blow as the South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch is out for this season. Notably, Bosch was part of Peshawar Zalmi’s squad in the Diamond category, but he withdrew after getting an IPL 2025 call-up from the Mumbai Indians.

This move didn’t go down well with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and they banned the Proteas star from the Pakistan Super League for one year, and Zalmi replaced him with another South African player, George Linde, a spin-bowling all-rounder, for the ongoing season.