Pakistan’s Twenty20 skipper Shahid Afridi on Monday became the first pick of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after Peshawar Zalmi signed up the flamboyant all-rounder to play for its franchise.
With 308 cricketers on board, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) kicked off players’ drafting in Lahore’s National Cricket Academy.
Shahid Afridi said he would have loved to play for any team but it made more sense for him to play for Peshawar Zalmi because it complements the work his foundation is doing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s remote areas.
Giving credit to the PCB for organising the mega cricket league, Afridi said the platform should be used to promote new faces and to encourage new talent.
Karachi Kings didn’t hesitate in signing up the former captain Shoaib Malik to play for them, while Quetta Gladiators got England star Kevin Pietersen.
But Lahore Qalandars perhaps made the most interesting pick for its franchise by signing West Indian hardhitter Chris Gayle. Shane Watson of Australia was picked up by Islamabad United.
Islamabad United
- Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
- Andre Russel (West Indies)
- Shane Watson (Australia)
- Samuel Badree (West Indies)
- Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan)
- Brad Haddin (Australia)
Karachi Kings
- Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)
- Shakib al-Hassan (Bangladesh)
- Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan)
- Immad Wasim (Pakistan)
- Ravi Bopara (England)
- Lendl Simmons (West Indies)
- Mohammad Amir (Pakistan)
Lahore Qalandars
- Chris Gayle (West Indies)
- Umar Akmal (Pakistan)
- Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)
- Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
- Yasir Shah (Pakistan)
- Sohaib Maqsood (Pakistan)
- Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)
Peshawar Zalmi
- Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
- Wahab Riaz (Pakistan)
- Darren Sammy (West Indies)
- Kamran Akmal (Pakistan)
- Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan)
- Chris Jordan (England)
Quetta Gladiators
- Kevin Pietersen (England)
- Ahmed Shehzad (Pakistan)
- Sarfraz Ahmed (Pakistan)
- Anwar Ali (Pakistan)
- Jason Holder (West Indies)
- Luke Wright (England)
“It’s very exciting time for Pakistan’s cricket and definitely nerve-wrecking,” says Wasim Akram.
“It’s great for Pakistan’s cricket,” says Mushtaq Ahmed.
“It would be great for domestic players to play with international ones. And, it’s not about money, it’s about cricket,” says Moin Khan.
The PSL has already finalised the sale of commercial rights for franchises, broadcast, and title sponsorship.
“By opting for a draft system in place of a player auction, PSL will ensure a level-playing field as each team will have to choose a certain number of players from each category. As a result of this, each team will spend an equal amount on drafting players. Top players will, therefore, play for all five teams,” the PCB said in a statement.
The PSL player list includes 137 Pakistani and 171 foreign players. The short-listed players have been divided into five categories:
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Gold
- Silver
- Emerging
Each team will be required to pick three players per category from each of the top three categories (Platinum, Diamond and Gold).
While drafting of two emerging players will be mandatory, a team will also be able to pick up to five players from the ‘Silver’ category in order to complete the squad.
Each team will have a minimum of four foreign players in the playing 11. The inaugural edition of the PSL is scheduled to take place from Feb 4-23, 2016 in Dubai and Sharjah.
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