Squad Watch: Rising Stars to Follow This Season

From a 6-foot-7 tearaway to a teenage hat-trick hero, these are the young players lighting up PSL 11

Every PSL season throws up a new crop of breakout talent, and PSL 11 has been no exception. With the tournament expanded to eight teams and played across two venues, opportunity has knocked for a host of emerging players — and several have answered emphatically. Here are the rising stars worth tracking for the rest of the campaign and beyond.

Rizwanullah — Karachi Kings

Karachi Kings’ towering 17-year-old quick has been one of the most eye-catching discoveries of the season, and he announced himself with a debut against Lahore Qalandars ^[1].

Standing at 6 feet 7 inches, Rizwanullah was unearthed through the Karachi Kings Talent Hunt Program after High Performance Coach Mohammad Masroor spotted him at a tournament in the city ^[2]. A product of Karachi Whites at under-19 level and a Grade Two cricketer for Port Qasim — where he once took a five-wicket haul — he is capable of clocking up to 145 kmph and models his game on former Australian speedster Brett Lee ^[1].

His rise has been carefully managed over the past year, with particular attention paid to his training, diet and fitness, and he even earned an invitation to Pakistan’s Test camp during Jason Gillespie’s tenure as head coach ^[2]. For a Karachi side that has leaned heavily on the experience of Hasan Ali, Rizwanullah represents the future of their pace attack.

Mohammad Abbas Afridi — Karachi Kings

Strictly speaking, Abbas Afridi is no longer a discovery — but at 24, he remains one of the most exciting young fast bowlers in the country, and his trajectory continues upward ^[3].

The right-arm pacer was a standout in PSL 10, claiming 17 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 23.52, helping Karachi reach the playoffs under David Warner. Ahead of PSL 11, he spoke about building on that form and the advantage of familiar conditions at the National Bank Stadium ^[3].

“My goal for PSL 11 is simple: to perform the way I did last season and deliver consistent performances for my team,” Abbas said, adding that the team’s morale was high and the aim was to win the title ^[3]. If he replicates last year’s output, Karachi’s bowling attack becomes a genuine match-winning unit.

Ali Raza — Peshawar Zalmi

If there was one young bowler who genuinely terrorised batters in PSL 11, it was Ali Raza. Usman Khawaja, who played the season with RawalPindiz, was effusive in his praise ^[4].

“Ali Raza was absolute heat. He was bowling at 150 consistently and he’s still a young fella. I loved his run-up and his action. Everything looked so smooth and then he just went bang. He even got a hat-trick in one of the games,” Khawaja said. “He’s very exciting and although there are a few bowlers touching 150 in the PSL, he really stood out. He’s definitely one to look out for” ^[4].

A teenage hat-trick in a tournament of this stature marks a player as one for the future — and the present.

Sameer Minas — Islamabad United

Among the young batters who caught Khawaja’s eye, Sameer Minas earned perhaps the warmest endorsement of all ^[4].

“Sameer Minas played for Islamabad and scored a fifty against us in Lahore. That guy whacked them. Young fella, I actually think he’s a beautiful player. He looks like he’s got a really cool base. Like all these younger guys, he smacks them. He had a couple of good innings and failed a few times as well, but that’s T20 cricket. He’s a young fella and I was really impressed,” Khawaja said ^[4].

Fearless strokeplay and composure beyond his years — exactly the profile Islamabad will want to develop.

Sahibzada Farhan — Multan Sultans

At 30, Sahibzada Farhan is not a youngster in the traditional sense, but his recent rise has been so steep that he belongs on any list of breakout performers ^[4].

“Sahibzada Farhan was smacking them everywhere. He has scored so many hundreds in the last few years in such a short period. He knows how to score centuries and he doesn’t do it slowly, he scores them quickly,” Khawaja said. “He gets them at a strike rate of over 150 every time. He was impressive and looked like a player at the top of his game. At the age of 30, it looks like the perfect time for him to go out there and dominate in international cricket too” ^[4].

Farhan finished the 2025 edition as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 449 runs, and his form shows no sign of slowing ^[5].

What It Means for the Season

The emergence of players like Rizwanullah, Ali Raza and Sameer Minas reflects a broader trend in PSL 11: franchises are increasingly willing to back homegrown talent in high-pressure roles. With the tournament reduced to two venues and played behind closed doors due to the regional situation, the stage has been smaller but the scrutiny no less intense ^[5].

For Karachi Kings, the development of Rizwanullah and the continued rise of Abbas Afridi offer hope that the franchise’s long-term rebuild under David Warner is built on more than just overseas star power ^[6].

One thing is certain: the next few weeks will tell us which of these names becomes a fixture of Pakistan cricket for years to come — and which were simply flashes in the pan.