Islamabad United reveal retention amounts of Shadab Khan, Salman Irshad and Andries Gous

Three-time champions Islamabad United on Wednesday announced the retention prices of their three retained players ahead of the historic 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3.

The franchise shared the details via their official Instagram handle, revealing the amounts allocated to skipper Shadab Khan, pacer Salman Irshad and USA batter Andries Gous. 

Shadab has been retained in the Platinum category for a fee of PKR 70 million, while Salman Irshad, retained in the Gold category, earned PKR 12 million.

Meanwhile, Andries Gous, retained in the Silver category, has been secured for PKR 14 million.

For the upcoming auction, franchises have been allotted a total budget of PKR 450 million. Islamabad United have so far spent PKR 96 million on their retained players. 

In addition, an amount of PKR 55 million has been earmarked for direct signings.

On Tuesday, Islamabad United confirmed the list of their retained players ahead of the PSL 11 players’ auction, which is set to take place on February 11.

The 11th edition of the PSL will mark a significant shift in the league’s player selection process, as the traditional draft system has been replaced by an auction-based model for the first time in tournament history. 

Previously, franchises were allowed to retain up to eight players — a rule that remained in place for the first 10 seasons. 

However, under the revised regulations for PSL 11, teams were permitted to retain only four players across different categories, posing a fresh challenge for franchises ahead of the auction.

A total of 15 players were placed across various retention categories. The Platinum category featured 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 included Azam Khan, Haider Ali, Salman Irshad and Rumman Raees, whereas Mohammad Faiq and Hunain Shah were placed in the Silver category. Saad Masood, Mohammad Shahzad and Ghazi Gouri were named in the Emerging category.

The upcoming season will also witness a major expansion of the league, with the PSL growing from six to eight teams. Hyderabad and Sialkot Stallionz are the newest additions and will make their debut in the forthcoming edition.

The Hyderabad franchise was acquired by Mr Fawad Sarwar after he emerged successful in the bidding process with an offer of PKR 1.75 billion (approximately USD 6.25 million). 

Meanwhile, the Sialkot Stallionz franchise was secured by Mr Hamza Majeed, who placed the highest bid of PKR 1.85 billion.

The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League is set to begin on March 26 and will conclude on May 3.