Lahore sign Wellalage as Motie withdraws from PSL

Lahore Qalandars have roped in Sri Lankan spinner Dunith Wellalage as a like-for-like replacement for Gudakesh Motie, after the latter withdrew from the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season. 

Why did Motie pull out of PSL?

Motie, who was signed by Qalandars at the auction for PKR 11 million, was the only West Indian player in the league. 

The reason behind his pulling out is understood to be due to late departure from India following the West Indies elimination from the T20 World Cup. 

The conflict in the Middle East and consequent closure of several airspaces saw teams, including West Indies, England, and South Africa, stuck in India for days. West Indies players were only able to return a couple of days ago. 

Wellalage’s World Cup campaign

Wellalage has had a decent T20 World Cup season, where despite his team’s woeful outings in Super Eights, he remained a bright spot. He took eight wickets, with three of them coming in against England. 

The young spinner will join his national cricket team captain Dasun Shanaka in the franchise. Shanaka was bought by Qalandars for PKR 7.5 million during the auction. 

Lahore Qalandars squad for PSL 11: 

Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza, Mohammad Naeem, Mustafizur Rahman, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Fakhar Zaman, Ubaid Shah, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Farooq, Dasun Shanaka, Parvez Hossain Emon, Asif Ali, Tayyab Tahir and Dunith Wellalage.

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