Islamabad United faced a big setback on Thursday as star English batter Alex Hales opted out before the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 Qualifier 2, which is set to take place on May 23 at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The former England opener announced his exit through an Instagram story. He wished the team all the best for the rest of the tournament and thanked the franchise for giving him the chance to return to the United camp. He was expected to strengthen Islamabad's batting lineup along with South African player Rassie van der Dussen. While van der Dussen is still with the team for this important final stage, Hales played only two matches.

According to some sources, the veteran opener played only two matches for Islamabad United in PSL 10 before returning to England because of personal reasons. In his first match of the season on May 19 against Karachi Kings, the 36-year-old played a brilliant innings, scoring 88 runs from just 35 balls. He hit six fours and eight sixes, with a very high strike rate of 251.42. Thanks to his powerful performance, Islamabad United scored a big total of 251 runs for 5 wickets.

Also Read -WATCH: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma paired up for pickleball event ahead of RCB vs SRH match

However, in Qualifier 1 against Quetta Gladiators, Hales was out for a duck on the second ball while chasing a target of 210 runs. Islamabad United was all out for 179 runs, and Quetta reached the final of PSL 10.

Now, Islamabad United will play Qualifier 2 against the winner of the Eliminator match between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars. The winner of Qualifier 2 will enter the final, which will be played in Lahore on May 25.

Islamabad United squad for PSL 2025:

Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah (all platinum), Azam Khan, Imad Wasim and Jason Holder (all diamond), Haider Ali, Salman Ali Agha and Ben Dwarshuis (all gold), Colin Munro, Rumman Raees, Andries Gous, Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Irshad (all silver), Hunain Shah and Saad Masood (both emerging), Kyle Mayers, Mohammad Faiq, Sahibzada Farhan, Muhammad Shahzad and Riley Meredith (all supplementary).