Emerging pacer Ihsanullah has withdrawn his decision to retire from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) just a day after boycotting the tournament. The 22-year-old had reacted emotionally after being overlooked by franchises during the recently concluded Draft for the 2025 edition.
Previously representing the Multan Sultans, Ihsanullah declared he would never participate in the league again after going unsold in the draft.
“Not a single franchise contacted me. I just don’t want to play franchise cricket anymore. It’s over after today. I completely boycott it and retire from the PSL. And I won’t be seen in the PSL again.”
”I want to represent Pakistan by performing in domestic cricket, not by playing in the PSL,” Ihsanullah said after the PSL 2025 Draft (via Geo Super).
The pacer has since apologized, describing his earlier outburst as an “emotional reaction” and admitting that his retirement announcement was made in the heat of the moment.
“There’s no plan for retirement, I announced the decision yesterday in emotions. When I wasn’t picked in the PSL draft, my friends & family also messed with my head and I announced retirement in the heat of the moment,” Ihsanullah told ARY News on Tuesday, January 14.
Ihsanullah’s elbow injury and failed surgery contributed to his post-PSL decline
The pacer rose to fame in PSL 2023, helping his franchise reach the final. He was named Player of the Tournament after taking 22 wickets at a 7.59 economy. His performance earned an international debut, featuring in five white-ball matches for Pakistan, including the 2023 series against New Zealand.
An elbow injury, worsened by mismanagement and a failed surgery, derailed Ihsanullah’s rapid rise. The incident prompted the PCB’s medical chief to resign, leaving the pacer far from his former form.
“It is a very sad development but we got Ihsanullah consulted with a top surgeon, who gave us a really bad news, saying that guys, I can do the surgery but no matter what I do, there is so much scaring from his previously botched surgery that his arm will never become perfectly straight and he will never be able to bowl in the same way because he does not have a straight arm,” the Multan Sultans owner said (via ARY News)
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