Gudakesh Motie to pull out of PSL, Lahore Qalandars to sign Dunith Wellalage as replacement

West Indies spinner Gudakesh Moti is set to pull out of the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

His situation was necessitated as he could not return home from India after the conclusion of the 2026 T20 World Cup due to the geopolitical crisis in West Asia and the resultant airspace closure.

West Indies were knocked out of the tournament on March 1, but were stranded in Kolkata due to the aforementioned reason. The ICC attempted to secure charter flights for their return to home, but the curtailed airspace movement denied them. Cricket West Indies (CWI) has finally made arrangements, booking commercial flights in the past week.

Lahore Qalandars, whom Motie was set to represent, have zeroed in on Sri Lanka’s 23-year-old left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage. The young spinner had a fine run at the T20 World Cup, finishing with eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.22.  If confirmed, Wellalage will unite with compatriot Dasun Shanaka, who has been named as Qalandars’ captain after being picked at the auction.

The derailed travel situation is unlikely have any further impact on the availability of other players, with Morti the only player from West Indies’ World Cup squad to be part of the league. South Africa was another team affected by the travel chaos at the World Cup. Although there are no South African World Cup squad players who are part of the PSL.

Lahore Qalandars, the defending champions, have clinched three of the last four titles, including last year’s final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

The PSL will commence on March 26, with defending champions Qalandars taking on the new franchise Hyderabad Kingsmen.

Lahore Qalandars squad for PSL 2026

Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza, Mohammad Naeem, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Fakhar Zaman, Ubaid Shah, Mohammad Farooq, Dasun Shanaka, Parvez Hussain Emon, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Tayyab Tahir