PSL 2019: Sandeep Lamichhane and Dan Christian lead influx of Big Bash final stars

DAN CHRISTIAN (MULTAN SULTANS)

Dan Christian arrives in the UAE on a high, having finished with the Man of the Match award in the BBL final after scoring a 30-ball 36 and taking two crucial wickets for Melbourne Renegades.

His overall record was decent – 254 runs at an average of 32 and strike rate of 123, a little low for someone who bats down the order where power-hitting is required, and 15 wickets at an average of 23 and an economy rate of 7.38.

But performances like the one he pulled off on Sunday while leading the Renegades to the title are exactly why Multan should benefit from his arrival – not to mention his winning pedigree.

BEN DUNK (KARACHI KINGS)

Dunk was the 12th-highest run-scorer in this edition of the BBL, though his 352 runs came at an average of just 22.80, and a strike rate of 118 that isn’t anything to write home about.

But he’s capable of some match-defining innings, like the unbeaten 72 off 53 balls he played against Adelaide Strikers to set up a resounding Melbourne Stars win in January, and a 50 in the final.

Karachi will hope he delivers performances like that more consistently, because on his day Dunk can run away with the game. If he clicks, the Kings’ batting will get that much more formidable.

DWAYNE BRAVO (QUETTA GLADIATORS)

Looks like Dwayne Bravo’s decline, hinted at during last season’s IPL, has continued in the latest edition of the Big Bash as he managed just 145 runs with a top score of 33 and average of 14.50 with the bat, while his 15 wickets came with an economy rate of nearly eight runs per over for the Melbourne Stars.

Nevertheless, Bravo will add valuable experience to the Gladiators, and may find the pitches more to his liking, both for his still lethal slower balls and his power hitting. A reunion with Shane Watson, his Chennai Super Kings team-mate, could end up being the perfect veteran partnership for the Gladiators.

SANDEEP LAMICHHANE (LAHORE QALANDARS)

The Nepalese leg-spinner continued to bamboozle batsmen in the 2018-19 BBL, finishing with 11 wickets from eight games. His numbers were impressive all around – an average of 17.72, economy rate of 6.57, and strike rate of 16.1 – and his form was crucial to leading Melbourne Stars to the final.

At 18, Lamichhane is still a developing player who may not get into the Lahore XI for every game. But there’s the prospect of seeing the young leggie bowl alongside Yasir Shah, a combination that could put the squeeze on any batting line-up. And even when he’s not in the XI, the opportunity to learn from the Pakistani veteran will be invaluable for Lamichhane.

HARRY GURNEY (QUETTA GLADIATORS)

Like Renegades team-mate Christian, Harry Gurney will be buzzing when he links up with his PSL squad after helping pull off that thrilling, title-winning triumph in Sunday’s BBL final.

Gurney’s spell of 1/20 off four overs was instrumental in helping the Renegades turn the game around, and wrapped up a successful tournament for the Englishman in which he picked up 10 wickets from nine games.

The 32-year-old hit back at his critics after winning a BBL medal, and now he’ll be looking to silence them again as he joins Quetta Gladiators for the rest of the PSL season.