CPL 2025: South Asian nations’ players drafted for Caribbean Premier League
Pakistan stars set to light up CPL 2025
The 2025 Caribbean Premier League is scheduled to get underway next month, and the six participating teams are hard at work with final preparations before the tournament opener on August 14. We will be covering the tournament in our cricket predictions, so be sure to check them out.
The highly anticipated CPL Draft was held last month, and a total of 12 South Asian players were selected, including five from Pakistan, six from Afghanistan, as well as one Bangladeshi, in the form of all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was snapped up by the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.
From the Shaheens, fast bowler Mohammad Amir was the headline pick for the Trinbago Knight Riders. The veteran paceman is no stranger to the competition either, having played in four previous seasons, notching up 51 wickets in 39 games at an average of 18.09.
Amir is joined in the Knight Riders camp by compatriot Usman Tariq, who will be making his first appearance in the CPL after being thrust into the spotlight owing to his impressive performances in the Pakistan Super League over the last two years.
The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots handed Mohammad Nawaz a maiden call-up to the CPL this season, while Imad Wasim will return to the Caribbean for an eighth season, joining up with the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.
The final Pakistani set to grace the tournament this year is Hasan Khan. The spin all-rounder is rumoured to be working on a move to the US in the not-too-distant future and will get his first taste of CPL action in 2025 with the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Blue Tigers hoping to roar at CPL 2025
Aside from South Africa, which has nine players heading to the Caribbean for the CPL 2025, the next highest-represented nation at the competition is Afghanistan, with six Blue Tigers set to make the trip to the Southern Hemisphere next month.
Joining the Barbados Royals this season is 25-year-old Azmatullah Omarzai, who will add to the team’s already explosive batting lineup, while his compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman will bolster the Royals’ bowling unit with his right-arm off-breaks.
The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons also have a pair of Blue Tigers in their setup, with Naveen Ul Haq and Allah Ghazanfar both drafted in as bowlers to assist the likes of Obed McCoy, Jayden Seales, Shamar Springer and Karima Gore.
The final two Afghans hoping to make an impact at CPL 2025 are Fazalhaq Farooqi and Waqar Salakheil, who were snapped up by the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots as bowling reinforcements alongside Ashmead Nedd, Jeremiah Loui and Dominic Drakes.
