The Pakistan Super League 2023 is well underway with some top bowlers showing signs of their potential early on. A good start to the season will set the tone for them for the rest of the tournament as they look to contribute to the team with the ball in hand.
The 2023 PSL season began with Lahore Qalandars facing off against last campaign’s runners-up Multan Sultans on the first day. The defending champions Lahore Qalandars won the season opener by a narrow margin of one run.
Defending a target of 176, skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi spearheaded the Qalandars’ bowling attack with a spell of 1/27, while the likes of Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and Hussain Talat chipped in with a scalp each to help Lahore register a win.
The second match of the season witnessed another close game with Peshawar Zalmi emerging victorious against Karachi Kings by two runs.
After setting a target of 200 for Karachi Kings to chase, Peshawar Zalmi’s bowlers came to the fore with the PSL all-time leading wicket-taker Wahab Riaz leading the way with figures of 2/34.
Riaz along with James Neesham and Salman Irshad were among the wickets for Zalmi as they picked up a narrow win.
However, perhaps the best bowling performance in the early stages of the season came from youngster Ihsanullah of Multan Sultans. The seamer’s devastating bowling effort saw him finish with figures 5/12 against Quetta Gladiators, deservedly bagging the Player of the Match award.
Pace ace Ihsanullah stole the show with his five-wicket haul 🏆#HBLPSL8 | #SabSitarayHumaray | #MSvQG pic.twitter.com/bstZu2b6UZ
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) February 15, 2023
The Gladiators were restricted to 110 and the Sultans chased down the target comfortably to pocket their first points in the PSL 2023 standings.
Some more familiar faces who are likely to be among the top wicket-takers in PSL 2023 include Mohammad Wasim, Tom Curran and Mohammad Amir, to name a few.
Most wickets in Pakistan Super League 2023
| Name | Team | Matches | Wickets |
| Abbas Afridi | Multan Sultans | 10 | 23 |
| Ihsanullah | Multan Sultans | 11 | 21 |
| Haris Rauf | Lahore Qalandars | 11 | 17 |
| Rashid Khan | Lahore Qalandars | 9 | 16 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Lahore Qalandars | 10 | 14 |
| Usama Mir | Multan Sultans | 11 | 14 |
| Zaman Khan | Lahore Qalandars | 11 | 13 |
| Hasan Ali | Islamabad United | 7 | 12 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Islamabad United | 5 | 10 |
| Shadab Khan | Islamabad United | 10 | 10 |
Photo credit: Alamy
