{"id":5026,"date":"2026-04-18T08:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T03:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/last-year-i-played-moeen-ali-opens-up-on-leaving-ipl-for-psl-opportunity-cricket-news\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T08:39:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T03:09:00","slug":"last-year-i-played-moeen-ali-opens-up-on-leaving-ipl-for-psl-opportunity-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/last-year-i-played-moeen-ali-opens-up-on-leaving-ipl-for-psl-opportunity-cricket-news\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Last year, I played&#8230;&#8217;: Moeen Ali opens up on leaving IPL for PSL opportunity | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130346098,imgsize-848416,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/130346098.jpg\" alt=\"'Last year, I played...': Moeen Ali opens up on leaving IPL for PSL opportunity\" title=\"Moeen Ali in PSL (Screengrab\/X)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Moeen Ali in PSL (Screengrab\/X)\">Moeen Ali in PSL (Screengrab\/X)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former England all-rounder <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/moeen-ali\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Moeen Ali<\/a> has opted to feature in the 2026 Pakistan Super League instead of returning to the <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/indian-premier-league\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Indian Premier League<\/a>, underlining a growing shift among overseas players seeking more game time and stability in the latter stages of their careers. With the <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/cricket\/ipl\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">IPL<\/a> and PSL schedules clashing in recent seasons, several international cricketers, especially those uncertain of regular selection in IPL franchises, have started exploring opportunities in Pakistan\u2019s premier T20 competition.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>At 38, Moeen made it clear that his priority is simple: to stay relevant and enjoy cricket while he still can.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>\u201cI&#8217;m 38 now, and I still want to play, do well, and extend my career as much as possible\u2026 It\u2019s a shorter competition, which works better for my family and me,\u201d Moeen said on the ARY Podcast.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>The England veteran had a difficult IPL 2025 campaign with Kolkata Knight Riders, where he managed just 5 runs in six matches and picked up six wickets, eventually losing his place in the playing XI. <!-- -->Reflecting on that phase, Moeen highlighted the lack of opportunities as a major factor behind his decision.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>&#8220;Last year in the IPL, I played only half the games and barely got to bat, just twice. At this stage, I want to be out there; I want to bat. I feel like I\u2019m playing good cricket towards the back end of my career, and I just want to keep going,&#8221; he added.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h3><keyword id=\"34503413\" type=\"General\" weightage=\"20\" keywordseo=\"Karachi-Kings\" source=\"keywords\">Karachi Kings<\/keyword> Move: A Fresh Chapter<br \/><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>Moeen was signed directly by Karachi Kings ahead of PSL 2026 for a reported PKR 6.44 crore, bringing his vast experience to the franchise. The move also marks his return to the PSL after previously featuring for Multan Sultans, with whom he won the title in 2021. Karachi Kings viewed Moeen as a key all-round addition, capable of strengthening both the middle order and spin department in a competitive PSL season.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/> He has primarily played in the middle order (No. 5\u20137), with his standout performance being an unbeaten 48 off 29 balls in the season opener against Quetta Gladiators. <!-- -->He has provided crucial breakthroughs with his off-spin, notably taking 2 wickets for 31 runs against Lahore Qalandars. In his most recent match against Islamabad United on April 16, he scored 8 runs and took 1 wicket. <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>In addition to his PSL commitments, Moeen recently reversed his domestic retirement to sign a T20 Blast-only contract with Yorkshire for the 2026 English season<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>This shift reflects a broader mindset change, players now prioritise: Regular playing time, role clarity and career longevity<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>&#8220;You\u2019re never guaranteed a place anywhere, even here, but I just want to enjoy my cricket as much as I can. I\u2019ve always wanted to experience the PSL, but unfortunately, it slightly clashes with the IPL,&#8221; Moeen concluded.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/cricket\/news\/last-year-i-played-moeen-ali-opens-up-on-leaving-ipl-for-psl-opportunity\/articleshow\/130346038.cms\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Moeen Ali in PSL (Screengrab\/X) Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has opted to feature in the 2026 Pakistan Super League instead of returning to the Indian Premier League, underlining a growing shift among overseas players seeking more game time and stability in the latter stages of their careers. With the IPL and PSL schedules clashing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5026","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}