Adil Rashid finally gets IPL stint as Punjab Kings sign legspinner as replacement player

The Yorkshire allrounder replaces Australian seamer Jhye Richardson, who will not return to the competition this year

Adil Rashid will play in the Indian Premier League for the first time next month after signing for Punjab Kings.

Rashid, 33, is among the most accomplished leg-spinners in the world white-ball game but has never previously been picked up in an IPL auction.

However, he is to join up with Punjab for the rearranged UAE leg of the 2021 IPL, which resumes in mid-September.

The Yorkshire allrounder replaces Australian seamer Jhye Richardson, who will not return to the competition this year. 

Rashid has franchise T20 experience in the Big Bash - for Adelaide Strikers, six years ago - and Bangladesh Premier League, where he played one game for Dhaka Dynamites in 2017, but despite his glittering performances for England over the past half-decade his impact on domestic cricket outside his home country is limited.

^{Adil Rashid played for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred}

The stint in the UAE will be perfect preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is due to take place almost immediately after the conclusion of the IPL - in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. 

England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan will also take part in the tournament, while Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan are due to feature alongside Rashid for Punjab, but several of their teammates are due to miss the IPL, including Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.

Punjab Kings have had to make a second replacement player signing, with Riley Meredith also missing from the UAE leg of the competition.

Nathan Ellis will come into the Kings' squad in place of his compatriot. 

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