Bash Bros set to take Pakistan by storm

Brisbane's "Bash Brothers" have taken the BBL by storm, and will team up again in the Pakistan Super League after Chris Lynn was the top pick in the PSL Draft overnight.

Lynn, who is on the comeback trail from shoulder surgery, was taken by the Lahore Qalanders, who already have Brisbane Heat teammate and former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum on their books.

Mitchell Johnson, who retired from international cricket in late 2015 but starred with the ball for Perth Scorchers in the KFC BBL last summer, was picked up by the Karachi Kings for the third edition of the PSL, along with the Melbourne Stars' long-serving England import Luke Wright.

Johnson will link up with Pakistan's own left-arm sensation Mohammad Amir for the Karachi team.

Former Australia allrounder and current Sydney Thunder captain Shane Watson will play the next season with the Quetta Gladiators having been released by Islamabad United, while Melbourne Renegades import and West Indies star allrounder Dwayne Bravo went to Peshawar Zalmi.

Watson said he was "very excited" to join the franchise, and will play alongside former Ashes opponent Kevin Pietersen. 

Fellow West Indies T20 star Kieron Pollard, who has taken 12 wickets and made 311 runs across 18 appearances with Adelaide Strikers, will be part of the Multan Sultans, which became the sixth side to join the PSL this season. The 30-year-old was among nine players picked up by the team.

Earlier, Lahore Qalanders had released Sydney Thunder rising star Chris Green and Bravo, the Quetta Gladiators cut ties with Brad Hodge, and Brad Haddin's coaching appointment with the Australian team made him unavailable for Islamabad United.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Thunder have extended the contract for rising spinner Arjun Nair. The 19-year-old who made his debut for the Thunder last season and played three games, has earned a second season with his home-town team.

“My friends and family go for Thunder and being from the Western Sydney it’s pretty cool to be part of the squad,” said Nair.

“To play alongside Shane Watson who I’ve watched on TV when I was younger is very special.

“Last year was a good experience for me with the squad. I learned from that experience and I’ll come back stronger. I know my game better than last year. You only have 24-balls max, so you need to vary it up. I'll try to use my variations as much as possible.”

Pakistan Super League squads

Islamabad United: Mohammad Sami, Andre Russell, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Samuel Badreem Iftikhar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Asif Ali, JP Duminy, Luke Ronchi, Faheem Ashraf, Sam Billings, Zafar Gohar, Sahibzada Farhan, Hussain Talat, Alex Hales, David Willey, Mohammad Hasan, Mohammad Hasnain.

Karachi Kings: Imad Wasim (C), Usman Khan, Usama Mir, Khurram Manzoor, Ravi Bopara, Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Shahid Afridi, Colin Ingram, Mitchell Jonhson, Luke Wright, David Wiese, Tabish Khan, Mohammad Ifran Jr, Hasan Mohsin, Colin Munro, Eoin Morgan, Saifullah Bangash.

Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Shakib al Hasan, Kamran Akmal, Darren Sammy, Hasan Ali, Haris Sohail, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Ashgar, Dwayne Bravo, Tamim Iqbal, Hammad Azam, Saad Nasim, Taimoor Sultan, Sameen Gul, Andre Fletcher, Evin Lewis, Khalid Usman, Muhammad Arif.

Quetta Gladiators: Sarfraz Ahmed, Kevin Pietersen, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Nawaz, Anwar Ali, Mahmudullah, Umar Amin, Mir Hamza, Asad Shafiq, Shane Watson, Carlos Brathwaite, Rahat Ali, Rameez Raja Jr, Saad Ali, Saud Shakeel, Hassan Khan, Jason Roy, Rashid Khan, Moin Khan (jr.), Faraz Ahmed.

Lahore Qalandars: Umar Akmal, Sunil Narine, Brendon McCullum, Fakhar Zaman, Yasir Shah, Cameron Delport, Aamer Yamin, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Khan, Chris Lynn, Mustafizur Rehman, Bilal Asif, Raza Hasan, Sohail Ahktar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ghulam Mudassar, Angelo Mathews, Mitchell McClenaghan, Gulraiz Sadaf.

Multan Sultans: Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Kimar Sangakkara, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Irfan Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Imran Tahir, Darren Bravo, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Abbas, Nicholas Pooran, Abdullah Shafique, Saif Badar, Hardus Viljoen, Umar Gul, Umar Siddiq, Ross Whiteley.