The trade comes in the draft for the upcoming edition of the tournament, with Imad traded under the Platinum category and snapped up by Islamabad United. Hasan Ali has subsequently moved to Karachi Kings under the Diamond category and, as a result of the trade, the Kings will receive Islamabad United’s first round silver pick in exchange for their second round silver pick.

Imad captained Karachi Kings in five out of the last six seasons of the PSL, including in last year’s edition. He led them to their first title in 2020, but since then the side has struggled for silverware. They finished outside the play-off positions in both of the last two editions of the franchise tournament.

However, Imad put in a strong personal performance in this year’s competition, finishing in the top five run-scorers with an average of 134.66 from his ten games as a lower-order hitter. He also took nine wickets in the 2023 competition. Islamabad United will be the first team Imad has played for in the PSL other than Karachi Kings.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Imad wrote: “Time for a new chapter. Really excited to be heading to my hometown team Islamabad United. It is an amazing franchise with great people. I will try my best to repay the faith Islamabad United, Shadab khan & Ali Naqvi have shown in me. I will try to build on my player of the tournament last season and help my team win the trophy.”

A new beginning pic.twitter.com/dHookYC5vR

— Imad Wasim (@simadwasim) November 29, 2023

The news also comes less than a week after Imad announced his retirement from international cricket following the 2023 World Cup.

Ali joined Islamabad United in 2021 having represented Peshawar Zalmi since 2016. He finished in the top ten wicket-takers of the 2023 tournament with 13 wickets at an average of 22.84.