England spinner Adil Rashid will make his first ever appearance in the Indian Premier League later this year after being brought in as a replacement player by the Punjab Kings.
Initially unsold in the auction, Rashid will replace Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson, who has pulled out of the rescheduled tournament.
The 33-year-old, who has been one of the best bowlers in limited overs cricket for a number of years now, is set join up with his team-mates in Dubai on September 8 and will be available for the remainder of the IPL.
Rashid is currently the number four ranked bowler in T20I cricket and he is England's third-highest wicket-taker in the format, behind Chris Jordan and Stuart Broad.
He is the second replacement player that the Kings have called up, with Australian quick Nathan Ellis replacing his compatriot Riley Meredith.
It has been a remarkable rise for Ellis, who became the first male cricketer to take a hat-trick on his T20I debut earlier this month and has been named as a travelling reserve in Australia's T20 World Cup squad.
"I'm super excited to be joining the Punjab Kings for the 2021 IPL resumption in the UAE," Ellis said. "A few more days here in quarantine for me and then I'll be out getting ready to go."
The tournament is set to resume on September 19, having been suspended back in May due to rising coronavirus cases among players.
Before the suspension, Punjab Kings, who also have Rashid's international team-mates Dawid Malan and Jordan in their squad, were sat sixth in the table after winning three of their eight games.
There have been a number of replacement players announced for the rescheduled tournament so far, with England youngster George Garton joining Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Jos Buttler has pulled out of the tournament and Rajasthan Royals have replaced him with New Zealand star Glenn Phillips.
Tim Southee, Tabraiz Shamsi, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera and Tim David have also been called up as replacements.
