IPL 2021 | Punjab Kings sign Adil Rashid as Jhye Richardson's replacement for UAE leg

Veteran English leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who had taken The Hundred by storm, has been roped in by the Punjab-based franchise for the second leg of IPL 2021, which will start on September 19.

Representing Northern Superchargers in the inaugural edition of The Hundred, Rashid ended up as the joint leading wicket-taker, with 12 scalps in seven innings at 14.41 and had an economy rate of 7.68. He comes in as a replacement for Jhye Richardson, who had pulled of the UAE leg of IPL 2021, as had his fellow countryman Riley Meredith.

Rashid has never featured in the IPL before, despite boasting an impressive CV in the shortest format. The world's No.4 ranked T20I bowler has taken 232 wickets from 201 T20 games at an ER of 7.43. While for England, the 33-year-old has featured picked up 65 wickets from 62 T20Is. He will be one of three wrist-spinners in the Punjab Kings camp, which also feature the uncapped pair of 20-year-old Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin.

The KL Rahul-led outfit is presently ranked sixth in the IPL points table, having won three of their five completed games. They will resume the second leg of the season against Rajasthan Royals in Dubai on September 21.