Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
SIKANDAR RAZA marked his presence with a trademark all-round supremacy in the opening match victory for defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League.
His compatriot Ryan Burl, who is also in the Qalandars books, missed the match on Thursday.
The bat in the PSL could be passed on to rising star Brian Bennett today when Peshawar Zalmi clash with Rawalpindiz.
Then tomorrow, the spotlight is likely to fall on fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, who is targeting his breakthrough in the lucrative India Premier League following his much-publicised move to Kolkata Knight Riders.
Zimbabwe coach Justin Sammons is naturally excited by the prospects of having four of his players getting involved in the world’s top franchise cricket events.
Already, Sammons was thrilled to see Chevrons skipper Raza playing a crucial role in Lahore Qalandars’ 69 runs victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen on Thursday.
Raza underlined his worth as the leading ICC T20I all-rounder with a feisty cameo that yielded 24 runs from just 10 balls. He also had two wickets under his belt, as Qalandars kicked off their campaign in defence of the PSL on a positive note.
The Zimbabwe captain decided to stay with the Lahore-based side, where he is revered for his heroic performance last season when he led the franchise to the PSL title success.
“I think from Raza’s perspective, he’s one of the seasoned professionals at PSL and has become obviously a match winner for his side and his performance yesterday (Thursday) again showed that both with bat and ball.
“I think the expectations will be around him to continue winning matches when he gives opportunities for that team,” said Sammons.
“In terms of the other three, Blessing, Ryan Burl and Brian Bennett, I think it really is going to be dependent on the makeup of those sides and whether they’ll get much game time or not.”
There is a marked anticipation for Bennett, who signed his first-ever T20 franchise contract with Peshawar Zalmi last week.
The 22-year-old top-order batter is one of cricket’s greatest finds in the past few months.
He secured the PSL deal following a sensational performance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 where he finished as one of the top players.
Bennett will play alongside veterans like Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kusal Mendis, Michael Bracewell and Khalid Usman, as Peshawar Zalmi look to turn around their fortunes. They finished fifth and exited the competition in the group stage last season.
Muzarabani could have played in the same Pakistani League after initially signing for Islamabad United.
However, the 29-year-old made a last-minute U-turn, switching to the prestigious IPL after accepting a more lucrative offer from Kolkata Knight Riders.
The move sparked controversy, with the Pakistan Cricket Board threatening to take legal action against the Zimbabwean.
The storm has now died down and it is now time for serious business for the pace bowler who looks to make his debut in the IPL tomorrow when KKR begin their campaign.
The towering fast bowler is the only Zimbabwean player in the tournament this year.
Sammons hopes his players will learn from their experiences, rubbing shoulders against some top players in both the PSL and IPL.
“It’s really exciting that we’ve now got four players in those two leagues where last year we essentially really only had the one or two.
“Obviously Blessing went to the IPL but didn’t get a game last year. He was drafted in very late, so yeah that’s exciting.
“I think because the national team has done well that these players get picked up and it’s good to see because it’s how we keep growing,” said Sammons.
Muzarabani will fight for the starting place against quality bowlers who include Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora and Cameron Green.
In the spin department, KKR have Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine for variety.
“I think when they do get game time, it really is just a great experience for them; good learning to be in one of the big leagues and I think they’ll just grow from it.
“In terms of expectations, you don’t really know because you don’t know whether they’ll be playing a lot within those sides or not.
“But certainly, when they do I think it’s going to be around making sure they gain as much of their experience as they possibly can and I think that’ll hold them in good stead as well as obviously Zimbabwe moving forward,” said Sammons.
KKR new head coach Abhishek Nayar labelled Muzarabani a “blessing in disguise”, when addressing the squad during their first training session at the Eden Gardens.
The franchise is aiming a fourth IPL title to atone for a forgettable outing last season when they finished a distant eighth out of 10 teams, four points adrift of the top four. They lost seven of their 12 completed fixtures.
“Blessing, you are a blessing in disguise for us,” Nayer, a former India all-rounder said in his opening pep-talk.
“I know so far we’ve sort of folded you in the bus, but it’s great to have you, the tallest member ever to be part of this KKR team. So welcome, I hope you have a great time with us and you enjoy the company of our boys,” Nayar said.
Muzarabani impressed the KKR scouts with his T20 World Cup performance when he picked up 13 wickets to finish joint second-highest.
He also recorded a career best 4/17 in the victory over Australia.
With more than 200 international wickets to his name, Muzarabani is yet to make his IPL debut despite having had a previous stint and being part of the championship winning side, Royal Challengers Bangalore last season.
RCB signed him as a replacement played for injured South African Lungile Ngidi but he did not get to play a match in the franchise’s successful season.
Muzarabani also has to prove critics wrong. Among his critics is former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra who predicted that he could struggle with his lengths.
“Although Blessing Muzarabani had an excellent World Cup, I am not very hopeful about him replicating that performance in the IPL.
“That’s what I feel. I could be completely wrong. I will put my hand up and say that I made a mistake, but the length at which he bowls mostly and the kind of wickets that are there in India, I am not 100 percent certain,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
