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Punjab Kings have signed Adil Rashid as a replacement player for the UAE leg of IPL 2021. The 33-year-old England leg-spinner, the joint-highest wicket-taker at The Hundred, replaces Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson, who along with compatriot Riley Meredith, has withdrawn from the second half of the tournament.

Adil Rashid is yet to feature in IPL. © Getty

Punjab Kings Acquired Nathan Ellis And Adil Rashid As The Replacement Players

Punjab Kings management had already confirmed the signing of Nathan Ellis as one of the replacement players and the acquisition of Adil Rashid balances their quota of eight overseas players.

Nathan Ellis, the Australian pacer is having a dream year. He got to make his T20I debut against Bangladesh recently and made it memorable by picking a hat-trick. Apart from that, he was also named as a reserve player in the squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Now, the year 2021 has got even bigger for him as Punjab Kings has picked him for the UAE leg which is set to resume on September 19.

Adil Rashid, who hasn’t played in the IPL before, is currently ranked fourth in ICC’s list of T20I bowlers and has taken 232 wickets from 201 T20 matches at an economy of 7.43. He is one of three Englishmen in the Punjab Kings setup, alongside Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan. He will also be one of three leg-spinning options for KL Rahul alongside the Indian pair of Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin.

Aussie pacer Nathan Ellis has signed for an IPL franchise for the 2021 season | Courtesy: @HurricanesBBL | Photo Credit: Twitter

Punjab Kings are placed sixth in the standings and will begin their UAE leg with a clash against Rajasthan Royals in Dubai on September 21.

Adil Rashid Will Join Punjab Kings Squad On September 8 In Dubai

It is understood that Adil Rashid will join the Punjab Kings on September 8 in Dubai and will be available for the entire second chunk of the tournament. The Punjab Kings will land in Dubai on August 29 and undergo the mandatory six-day hotel quarantine before starting their training.

Adil Rashid, who had a base price of INR 1.5 crore (US$ 200,000 approx.), went unsold in the IPL auction held earlier this year. A regular in England’s limited-overs set-up, he has picked up 65 wickets in 62 T20Is at an average of 24.29. In the series against Pakistan in July, Adil Rashid picked up six wickets in two T20Is at a cost of 65 runs in his eight overs.

Punjab Kings rope in Adil Rashid. (Image Credit: PBKS Twitter) — Punjab Kings’ rope in Adil Rashid. (Image Credit: PBKS Twitter)

At the time of this update, Adil Rashid is ranked fourth in the ICC table for T20I bowlers, behind South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, who recently signed with the Rajasthan Royals, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, now a Royal Challengers Bangalore replacement player, and Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan stalwart who has been a star for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Punjab Kings already have legspinners Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi and finger spinning options in Jalaj Saxena, Saurabh Kumar, and Harpreet Brar, but Adil Rashid, apart from being much more experienced than the others, could be a smart pick in place of a quick because of the large grounds in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.