Hyderabad Kingsmen have made a big move ahead of the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) by signing Sri Lanka’s talented spinner Maheesh Theekshana. 

The franchise confirmed the addition through its official social media accounts, calling him a “wily operator” with proven T20 skills.

Theekshana, 25, comes with significant international experience. He has played 83 T20 internationals for Sri Lanka, taking 82 wickets at an economy rate of 7.08. His overall T20 record is equally impressive, claiming 230 wickets in 225 matches across global leagues.

With this Kingsmen sign, Hyderabad adds a player familiar with franchise cricket worldwide. Theekshana has competed in major tournaments, including the Indian Premier League (IPL), ILT20, SA20, Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and the Lanka Premier League (LPL). His versatility and experience make him a key addition to the squad ahead of their PSL debut.

PSL 11 will see a historic expansion, featuring eight teams for the first time. Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindi are the new entrants, joining a tournament that will host 44 matches over 39 days.

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently revised its plans. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced that all matches will now be played across only two venues, Karachi and Lahore, and behind closed doors without spectators.

The Hyderabad Kingsmen squad now includes a mix of experienced internationals and emerging talent. Key players include Marnus Labuschagne (c), Hassan Khan (vc), Glenn Maxwell, Kusal Perera, Sharjeel Khan, and Maheesh Theekshana. Fans will watch closely to see how the new signings perform in their PSL debut season.

The Kingsmen sign of Theekshana shows the franchise’s intent to compete strongly in their first PSL campaign. With his spin skills and global experience, Theekshana is expected to play a central role in Hyderabad’s bowling attack. (News Guru)

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Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 league will take place in empty stadiums due to the recent spike in oil prices, says a top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The franchise-based Pakistan Super League, set to kick off on Thursday, also ⁠cancelled its opening ceremony in Lahore, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday, citing a fuel ⁠shortage caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

The league was set to be played in six cities, but now only Lahore and Karachi will be hosting the games, with the opening encounter set to be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Pakistan has faced soaring oil prices prompted by the United States-Israel war on Iran and the subsequent spread of the conflict across the region. Pakistan’s government has asked its citizens to restrict their movements due to rising fuel prices.

“We don’t know how long this war will continue,” Naqvi said.

“We can’t ask people to restrict their movements and then have 30,000 people in stadiums every day. We decided that as long as this [oil] crisis is ongoing, we will not have crowds at matches. This was a difficult decision, but it needed to be made. The opening ceremony will also be cancelled.”

Naqvi said the PCB will issue refunds for all sold tickets within 72 hours and will also compensate franchise owners for the loss of revenue from gate receipts.

Naqvi apologised to the four cities – Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan and Peshawar – that will no longer host PSL games this season. “We have to restrict our movements, and we do not want to waste our resources,” he said. “I especially apologise to Peshawar, which was due to host PSL games for the first time, [but] there will be no crowds anyway, so there was no reason to go to those cities.”

Naqvi said he consulted Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PCB patron, and the eight franchises before finalising the decision to stage the games in empty stadiums.

Several foreign players have pulled out of PSL due to personal reasons, including Australians Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson, South African Ottneil Baartman and Gudakesh Motie of the West Indies. (Al Jazeera)

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