Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars have new key signings

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalandars have a new signing each. Both the signings are off-field and a boost to the respective management. For the Zalmis, interestingly, the star name joining their ranks, is not a player or a coach but a well-known medical consultant. They have got on board Dr Zaf Iqbal, a recognized name in Britain’s sporting circles and counts top English Premier League clubs Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur among his former employers.

Iqbal’s association with Zalmi was revealed via a series of announcements made on Twitter where the official Peshawar Zalmi account said, “Peshawar Zalmi would like to welcome former Liverpool and Crystal Palace first team doctor, Dr. Zafar Iqbal to the Zalmi Family.”

Looking forward to this collaboration

The doctor himself confirmed the new partnership in a video, sometime later. “Pakhair raghlay! I just want to thank brother Javed Afridi and all those who’ve made me feel welcomed in joining the Zalmi family,” said Iqbal, who is currently associated with Crystal Palace FC. “I’m really looking forward to this collaboration having heard some of Javed’s exciting plans.”

Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars has roped in former New Zealand captain Kyle Mills as its technical and tactical advisor of the team. The former Kiwi pacer is set to officially join the Qalandar camp later in the year when the Rising Stars squad by Lahore Qalandars will take on Australia for a quadrangular tournament in the island country.

“He will be our game strategist,” said Lahore Qalandars’s CEO Rana Atif while speaking to Geo.tv.

Rana confirmed that Mills will be present with the Lahore Qalandars Rising Stars squad during the Australia tour and will eventually join the squad for the Pakistan Super League (PSL). 38-year-old Mills has represented New Zealand in 19 Tests, 170 ODIs, and 42 T20Is before retiring in 2015.

Kyle Mills will work with his former colleague Brendon McCullum in order to develop strategies and team planning for PSL’s third edition. Atif added that the franchise hopes that Mills’ inclusion in the Qalandar family will help them scale new heights.