Quetta Gladiators unveil retention fees ahead of PSL 11 auction

KARACHI: Fourth-edition champions Quetta Gladiators on Wednesday revealed the retention fees for their four retained players ahead of the historic 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), scheduled from March 26 to May 3.

The franchise shared the details via their official Instagram handle, confirming the fees for spinner Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Hassan Nawaz and young opener Shamyl Hussain. 

Abrar has been retained in the Platinum category for PKR 70 million, while Usman, in the Diamond category, will receive PKR 56 million. 

Hassan, selected from the Gold category, secured PKR 39.2 million, and Shamyl Hussain, from the Emerging category, will earn PKR 8.4 million.

For the upcoming auction, franchises have been allotted a total budget of PKR 450 million. Gladiators have so far spent PKR 173.6 million on their retained players.

On Tuesday, Gladiators confirmed their list of retained players ahead of the PSL 11 players’ auction, scheduled for February 11.

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of the PSL will bring a major change to the league’s player selection process, as the traditional draft system has been replaced by an auction-based model for the first time in the tournament’s history. 

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

Under the revised regulations, teams may retain only four players across different categories, posing a fresh challenge ahead of the auction.

A total of 14 players were placed across various categories for retention. 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 upcoming edition will also mark a significant 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 this season.

The Hyderabad franchise was secured by Fawad Sarwar, who won the bidding with an offer of Rs 1.75 billion (approximately $6.25 million). 

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

The 11th edition of the PSL will kick off on March 26 and continue until May 3.