Karachi Kings confirm retentions ahead of historic PSL 11 auction

KARACHI: Fifth-edition champions Karachi Kings on Tuesday unveiled their retained players ahead of the historic Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 players’ auction, scheduled to take place on 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.

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 Ali in the Platinum category, Abbas Afridi in Diamond, Khushdil Shah in Gold, and Saad Baig in the Emerging category, while opting not to retain any player from the Silver category.

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.

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.