Zalmi replace Gurbaz with Australian all-rounder ahead of the PSL 11 auction

Peshawar Zalmi have directly signed Aaron Hardie, a day out from the PSL player auction, set to be staged in Lahore on Wednesday. Hardie comes off a stellar Big Bash League (BBL) season for title-winners Perth Scorchers, where he impressed with both bat and ball.

Hardie in franchise cricket

Having scored 339 runs at an average of 37.66 with a strike rate of 146, he ended the season as the Scorchers’ third-highest run-scorer. He also took 12 wickets, which is the most for the franchise after Mahli Beardman and Cooper Connolly.

Aside from the BBL, Hardie has only played ten T20 games across two leagues, including Major League Cricket (MLC) and the Vitality Blast. He was also part of the Punjab Kings squad in the last IPL season, having been sold for AUD $228,000, though he did not play any games.

Gurbaz pulled out of PSL

Hardie comes in as one of Zalmi’s pre-auction picks and will join the retained players, including Babar Azam (Platinum), Sufiyan Muqeem (Diamond), Abdul Samad (Gold), and Ali Raza (Emerging).

Zalmi had earlier confirmed Afghanistan’s top-order batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz as their direct signing, which was allowed to all franchises for the first time in PSL history. However, Gurbaz pulled out of the tournament just two days after the signing was announced. Following his exit, Zalmi confirmed they will announce a replacement before the auction.

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