CPL: Ayub, Sadaqat headline strong Pakistani contingent at Jamaica Kingsmen

Jul 22, 2026 Sports

ESPNcricinfo – Jamaica Kingsmen will have a distinct Pakistani flavour to their squad in CPL 2026 after they signed Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan and Hunain Shah, the brother of Naseem Shah.

Pakistan-born USA players Hassan Khan and Shayan Jahangir will also be part of Jamaica’s side in the upcoming CPL along with rookie Pakistani batter Tayyab Arif. All these seven players were also on the books of Kingsmen’s parent franchise, Hyderabad, which reached the PSL 2026 final earlier this year.

CPL: Ayub, Sadaqat headline strong Pakistani contingent at Jamaica Kingsmen

Saim Ayub has represented Guyana Amazon Warriors in the past in the CPL. (CPL T20/Getty Images)

The CPL will be Sadaqat’s first major overseas T20 league stint outside of the PSL. An explosive left-hand top-order batter, Sadaqat can also pitch in with left-arm fingerspin. He recently earned call-ups to Pakistan’s ODI and T20I squads as well. He had a strike rate of 178.08 in PSL 2026, the highest among 38 batters who faced at least 100 balls in the competition.

Ayub is a more familiar face in the CPL, having been the second-highest run-getter in 2023, with 478 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 142.26 for Guyana Amazon Warriors. From barely bowling once upon a time, he has developed into an allrounder who can also bowl mystery spin. His variations include the carrom ball, wrong’un and the flipper. Ayub is set to return to the CPL after three years.

Ayub, Sadaqat and Usman, however, will be available to Kingsmen only from August 19. They will slot into the positions of Jahangir and Arif, who will not be available for the second half of CPL 2026 after fulfilling their commitments for the first half.

Hunain Shah is the brother of Naseem Shah. (PCB/PSL)

Hassan and Hunain, though, will be available for the entire tournament. CPL 2026 will be played in a record-equalling eight nations this year, with fixtures in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The CPL will run from August 7 until September 20 this year and will overlap with the Hundred, the ETPL and the knockouts of the LPL.

Kingsmen will become the second Jamaican team to feature in the CPL after the Jamaica Tallawahs, who have been defunct since 2023. The franchise is owned by Fawad Sarwar, a Pakistani businessman based in the United States.

Earlier during the draft, Kingsmen had snapped up local Jamaican stalwarts Andre Russell and Rovman Powell. The new franchise was handed an opportunity to recruit top local players unchallenged in the draft. Powell will lead Kingsmen after previously captaining the Jamaica franchise to the title in 2022, when they were called Tallawahs. Russell and Powell come into the CPL on the back of winning MLC 2026 with LA Knight Riders.

Left-arm wristspinner Vitel Lawes, who made a splash on international debut against New Zealand in Guyana recently, is set to make his CPL bow for Kingsmen next month.

Jamaica Kingsmen squad

Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Keemo Paul, Keacy Carty, Jediah Blades, Shaqkere Parris, Odean Smith, Vitel Lawes (Right to Match Option), Romaine Morris, Kirk McKenzie (Breakout player), Kelvin Pitman (Breakout player), Jeavor Royal (Breakout player), Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Shayan Jahangir, Tayyab Arif

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CPL, Jamaica Kingsmen, Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub

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