Peshawar Zalmi on Tuesday announced retaining Babar Azam in the Platinum category ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 players’ auction, scheduled to take place on February 11.
The announcement comes as franchises unveiled the lists of their retained players for the upcoming edition of the league.
For the first time in the PSL’s history, the player selection process has undergone a major overhaul, with the traditional draft system replaced by an auction-based model.
Previously, franchises were allowed to retain up to eight players, a rule that remained in effect for the first 10 seasons. However, as per the revised regulations for PSL 11, the teams were only allowed to retain a total of four players from as many categories, presenting franchises with a challenging decision-making ahead of the auction.
Islamabad United: Islamabad United were the first franchise to announce their retention list from a total of 15 players across various categories.
The Platinum category included skipper Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz and Imad Wasim, while no players were listed in the Diamond category.
The Gold category featured Azam Khan, Haider Ali, Salman Irshad and Rumman Raees, while Mohammad Faiq and Hunain Shah were named in the Silver category. Saad Masood, Mohammad Shahzad and Ghazi Gouri were placed in the Emerging category. The United retained Shadab (Platinum), Salman (Gold), Andries (Silver), leaving Diamond and Emerging slots empty.
Karachi Kings: For the Kings, a total of 16 players were placed across various categories. The Platinum category included skipper David Warner and Hasan Ali, while Abbas Afridi and Shan Masood were listed in the Diamond category.
The Gold category featured Khushdil Shah, Aamer Jamal, Irfan Khan Niazi, Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, Omair bin Yousuf, Shahnawaz Dahani and Arafat Minhas. Mirza Mamoon Imtiaz was named in the Silver category, while Razaullah, Fawad Ali and Saad Baig were placed in the Emerging category.
From these options, the Kings retained Hasan in the Platinum category, Abbas in Diamond, Khushdil in Gold, and Saad in the Emerging category, while opting not to retain any player from the Silver category.
Quetta Gladiators: A total of 14 players were placed across various categories. The Platinum category included Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir and Abrar Ahmed, while Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usman Tariq were listed in the Diamond category.
The Gold category featured Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Hassan Nawaz and Danish Aziz. Ali Majid was the sole player in the Silver category, while Mohammad Zeeshan and Shamyl Hussain were placed in the Emerging category.
The Gladiators retained Abrar in the Platinum category, Usman in Diamond, Hassan from Gold and Shamyl from the Emerging category while opting not to retain any player from the Silver category.
Lahore Qalandars: A total of 13 players were placed across various categories. The Platinum category included captain Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf, while Momin Qamar featured in the Emerging category.
The Silver category comprised Mohammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Naeem and Mohammad Azab, whereas the Gold category included Zaman Khan, Jahandad Khan, Asif Afridi and Asif Ali. The Diamond category featured Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Salman Mirza. From these options, the Qalandars retained Shaheen in the Platinum category, Abdullah from Diamond, Sikandar from Gold, Naeem from Silver, while opting not to retain any player from the Emerging category.
Peshawar Zalmi: A total of 14 players were placed across various categories. The Platinum category included skipper Babar Azam and Saim Ayub, while Sufiyan Muqeem was the sole player listed in the Diamond category.
The Gold category featured Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Ali, Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Ahmed Daniyal and Ihsanullah. Arif Yaqoob and Mehran Mumtaz were named in the Silver category, while Maaz Sadaqat, Ali Raza and Abdullah Fazal were placed in the Emerging category.
From these options, Zalmi retained Babar in the Platinum category, Sufiyan in Diamond, Abdul Samad in Gold and Ali in the Emerging category.
Sialkot Stallionz: Stallionz secure former Australian captain through direct signing, allowed under the new model Sialkot Stallionz, Pakistan Super League’s newest franchise, on Tuesday confirmed the signing of former Australian captain Steve Smith for the PSL’s 11th edition, set to take place from March 26 to May 3. The announcement was made via the franchise’s official social media channels, confirming the first and biggest direct signings. Stallionz secured the right-handed batter through the direct signing, as each is permitted to make one such move under the new model.