Pakistan cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq is likely to dissociate himself from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United for the upcoming fourth edition of the tournament.
Making the announcement, the franchise said that the development came after the right-hand batsman retracted from the agreement to be a mentor with the franchise, owing to his wish to play in the 2019 season of the tournament.
"Islamabad United, the winners of the inaugural PSL and the defending PSL champions, would like to update our fans that Misbah-ul-Haq might not be a part of the franchise in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League, due to a late change of decision. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Islamabad United had reached an agreement with Misbah-ul-Haq regarding his appointment as the mentor of the franchise for PSL 4 and the editions going forward. This is in line with ISLU's ethos of developing and nurturing not only emerging players but also senior players as they move to the next phase of their careers. ISLU was hence delighted to receive the written confirmation to this affect," the franchise said in a statement.
"Despite having reached that agreement the franchise was informed yesterday that Misbah wished to stay in the player draft for PSL4 for consideration as an active player. As Islamabad United has already announced its retentions and has a specific strategy for the draft, picking Misbah as a player may not be possible for the franchise," the statement added.
Mentioning that it is an "unexpected turn of events", the PSL team stated that they respect Misbah's decision. They further thanked the player for the "invaluable contribution" made by him to the team.
"While this is an unexpected turn of events, we respect Misbah's decision and would like to thank him for invaluable contribution to the rise of ISLU, and would like to wish him the best in his future endeavours," they stated.
The fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League is slated to be held from February 14.