"Watson gave consent to visiting Pakistan no doubt, I think he also signed an agreement with Pakistan Cricket Board. Hastings also agreed but he became unfit and same for Laughlin but he pulled out due to personal reasons. We were expecting to have all these players," he said.

The coach further said that they knew Kevin Pietersen was unwilling to visit Pakistan. "But KP is a very good player and took us to the final last year. As a head coach, I don't think one player makes a big difference so if KP didn't come we could have made up for it," he added.

The absence of Watson, who was the highest run-getter for the Gladiators in the tournament with 319 runs, visibly weakened Sarfraz’s side. Pakistan’s former captain was of the view that players who refused to visit Pakistan shouldn't be allowed in the league in the first place, as it sends out a ‘wrong message’ about the country.

"Those players who don't give consent to tour Pakistan shouldn't be kept in the draft. The PSL has now become a very big brand, so in the future I don't think there will be need for big individual players. When they refuse to visit Pakistan, it also affects the country and sends out the wrong message that Pakistan is an unsafe country. PCB shouldn't make the league dependent on these individual players."

“If someone respects Pakistan, he should come and play this league. It is the duty of the PCB to ensure players are willing to visit Pakistan, not the franchises," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday night, the Peshawar Zalmi won a thriller against Quetta Gladiators by one run in the first eliminator of the tournament. Although the match got disrupted initially due to rain, the match was later on resumed.