Picking the best playing 11 from PSL 2023

After more than a month of intense action, the 2023 season of the Pakistan Super League culminated on Sunday with Lahore Qalandars managing to defend their title. The Qalandars defeated Multan Sultans by 1 run in what was a most thrilling conclusion to the tournament.

This year's PSL was characterized by scintillating action which kept viewers glued to their screens. Some top-class players from around the world put in some brilliant performances and there were youngsters who impressed as well.

On that note, here's our 'Team of the Tournament'.

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#1 Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi)

Pakistan's national captain Babar Azam had a stellar season this year, accumulating 522 runs at an average of 45.30 and a sensational strike-rate of 145.40.

Babar managed to score a century and five half-centuries from 11 appearances. His batting and captaincy were instrumental in taking Peshawar Zalmi to the knock-out stage of the tournament.

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#2 Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultan)

Mohammad Rizwan finished as the highest run-getter of the season, scoring 550 runs at an average of 55 and a commendable strike-rate of 142.85. Rizwan scored a century and four fifties during the tournament and his contributions were key to Multan Sultans' run to the final.

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#3 Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi)

Mohammad Haris, who has been impressive in the few games that he has played for Pakistan, had a great PSL, scoring 350 runs.

His runs came at a phenomenal strike-rate of 186.17, which is superb for a top-order batter. With Babar Azam being someone who likes to take time before teeing off, Haris was the perfect foil for Peshawar Zalmi's leading batsman.

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#4 Rilee Rossouw (Multan Sultans)

Rilee Rossouw, the 33-year-old South African enjoyed a good season, scoring 453 runs from 11 appearances at a destructive strike rate of 171.59. His best innings came against Peshawar Zalmi when he scored 121 off 51 deliveries to orchestrate the highest successful run chase in PSL history.

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#5 Azam Khan (Quetta Gladiators)

Azam Khan of Quetta Gladiators was one of the best middle-order batters of the season. He ended up with 282 runs from nine innings at a remarkable strike-rate of 161.14. Khan played a crucial role for the Gladiators, making valuable contributions consistently.

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#6 Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings)

Imad Wasim had an outstanding season with the bat as he ended up scoring 404 runs at a staggering average of 134.67. His strike rate was in excess of 170 and he also picked up nine wickets at an economy rate of less than 8-runs-an-over. His team had a tough tournament as they ended up with just three wins but Imad led by example admirably.

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#7 Faheem Ashraf (Islamabad United)

Faheem Ashraf had a good season, which ensured that Islamabad United progressed to the playoffs. With the bat, Ashraf scored 215 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 149.30. With the ball, although he picked up only eight wickets, he bowled the difficult overs. With Imad Wasim also being a part of this team, Ashraf is a good fit.

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#8 Rashid Khan (Lahore Qalandars)

Rashid Khan had a great season [PSL on Twitter]

Rashid Khan was brilliant as usual, picking up 20 wickets from 11 appearances. The leg-spinner from Afghanistan gave runs at an economy of 6.53 which is just brilliant. Rashid's returns were an important part of Qalandar's triumphant season.

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#9 Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars) [C]

Shaheen Shah Afridi led his team to the title [PSL on Twitter]

Shaheen Shah Afridi had a good season with the ball in hand as he ended up picking 19 wickets, although at an economy rate of more than 9-runs-an-over. However, the tall left-arm pacer more than made up for it with his shrewd tactics, leading the Qalandars to yet another title win. Shaheen was also a decent batter lower down the order, scoring 133 runs at a strike-rate of 168.35.

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#10 Ihsanullah (Multan Sultans)

20-year-old IIhsanullah was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for his 22 wickets over the course of the season. He also had a great economy rate of 7.60. His best outing came against the Quetta Gladiators when he picked up a five-wicket haul, conceding just 12 runs.

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#11 Abbas Afridi (Multan Sultans)

Another youngster who impressed in this year's PSL, Abbas Afridi picked up 23 wickets and ended up as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. He was not the most economical bowler but his wicket-taking ability was of paramount importance for the Multan Sultans.