Islamabad United unveil retentions ahead of historic PSL 11 auction

KARACHI: Three-time champions Islamabad United on Tuesday confirmed the list of their retained players ahead of the historic Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 players’ auction, scheduled for February 11.

For the first time in the league’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.

A total of 15 players were placed 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.

From these options, United retained Shadab Khan in the Platinum category, Salman Irshad in Gold, and USA’s Andries Gous in Silver, while retaining no player from Diamond and opting not to retain anyone from the Emerging category.

The upcoming edition will also mark a major expansion of the league, with the Pakistan Super League set to grow from six to eight teams. 

Hyderabad and Sialkot Stallionz are the newest additions to the PSL family and will make their debut in the forthcoming season.

The Hyderabad franchise was secured by Mr. Fawad Sarwar, who emerged successful in the bidding process after placing an offer of Rs 1.75 billion (approximately $6.25 million), thereby acquiring ownership of the new team.

Meanwhile, the Sialkot Stallionz franchise was won by Mr Hamza Majeed, who topped the auction with a bid of Rs 1.85 billion, securing the rights to lead the Stallionz into their inaugural PSL campaign.

For the unversed, the 11th edition of the tournament will kick off on March 26 and will run until May 3.