Kamal Ghorui
After Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani and Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka, South African fast bowler Ottniel Baartman could be the third foreign player to ditch the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and join an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.The 33-year-old right-arm fast bowler withdrew from the PSL last week and Pakistani news outlet Geo Super reported on Monday that the PSL franchise Hyderabad Kingsmen are weighing up their options to replace Baartman.
As per the Geo Super report, the PSL franchise has approached Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana to join the tournament.
Which IPL franchise can Baartman join?
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has emerged as a frontrunner to rope in Baartman after Nathan Ellis was ruled out of the season.The Aussie fast bowler was ruled out due to a Hamstring injury and Baartman could be the like-for-like replacement for the CSK.However, it is not clear yet why Baartman withdrew from the PSL, nor is there any reliable information so far on him joining any of the IPL franchises.Earlier, Sri Lanka T20I skipper Dasun Shanaka was on Monday confirmed as a replacement for the injured England all-rounder Sam Curran in the Rajasthan Royals camp for IPL 2026.Shanaka will join the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 2 crore. Shanaka’s move to RR made him the second international player after Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani to leave the Pakistan Super League for a stint in the Indian Premier League.After going unsold in the IPL auction, Shanaka was roped in by the PSL team Lahore Qalandars.Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL 2026 with a home game in Guwahati against Chennai Super Kings on March 30.
