In the eighth PSL season, Babar Azam, the most productive batter in PSL history and the captain of Pakistan’s all-format team, will play for Peshawar Zalmi.
The prodigious right-hander is the all-time leading scorer in the PSL with 2,413 runs scored in 68 games.
Babar competed for Islamabad United in the first PSL season. Babar changed teams before the PSL 2017 player draught, going to Kings. He has since played for the Kings in six PSL seasons, and this year he captained the team.
The competition will take place in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan between February 9 and March 19 of the following year.
Before the trade and retention window closed on Friday night, the 2017 champions Zalmi acquired Babar in the Platinum category and the first pick in the additional round for Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik, who will move to Karachi Kings, the winners of the 2020 edition, in the Platinum and Diamond categories, respectively.
A side can assemble up to eight players during the trade and retention window before the PSL Player Draft, which allows it to extend the squad side to 18 players — three from each of the Platinum, Diamond, and Gold categories, five from Silver, two from Emerging, and up to two from Supplementary.
Babar is the only participant in the Platinum level, having played for Islamabad United before moving on to Karachi Kings.
Mohammad Haris, whose brave batting has lightened up the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, is in Gold, while Wahab Riaz and Sherfane Rutherford are in Diamond.
The only team to keep seven players is Zalmi.
Shoaib joins Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir in the Diamond division, while Haider is the lone player from Karachi in the Platinum division.
They kept Qasim Akram in the Emerging group and Sharjeel Khan, Mir Hamza, and Aamir Yamin in the Silver level.
The defending champion Lahore Qalandars have kept their captain Shaheen Afridi and Rashid Khan in the Platinum division. David Wiese, an all-around player, remains in the Diamond category. Lahore has kept seven players, but they will reveal their eighth retention when the time comes.
The middle-order batsmen Khushdil Shah and Rilee Rossouw in the Diamond division and Tim David in the Gold division for Multan Sultans, the 2021 champions and finalists, have been kept.
Their only Platinum-level retainer is Mohammad Rizwan, their skipper and the player of PSL 2021 with the most runs scored in T20Is since the year 2021 began.
David is joined in the Gold category by fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani, who has been designated the Multan Sultans’ Brand Ambassador.
Shadab, the captain of Islamabad United, which won the first and third tournaments in 2016 and 2018 respectively, is still competing in the Platinum division. Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, and Hasan have retained two players in the Diamond, with Asif Ali serving as the Brand Ambassador and Muhammad Wasim Jr.
Mohammad Nawaz, who has been a member of the Quetta Gladiators since the first edition, has been kept on as the Platinum.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Jason Roy are kept in the Diamond tier. Their captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and brand ambassador Mohammad Hasnain are in the Gold division.
The Right to Match Card will allow each of the six teams, like it did last year, to select any player who is removed from their roster during the draught.
In due course, information regarding the PSL Player Draft 2023 will be released.
Complete list of retained players
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (Platinum). Asif Ali (Brand Ambassador) and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Diamond). Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali (Gold). Colin Munro and Paul Stirling (Silver).
Karachi Kings: Haider Ali (Platinum). Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik (Diamond). Aamir Yamin, Mir Hamza and Sharjeel Khan (Silver). Qasim Akram (Emerging)
Lahore Qalandars: Rashid Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Platinum). David Wiese (Diamond). Abdullah Shafique (Gold). Harry Brook and Kamran Ghulam (Silver). Zaman Khan (Emerging). Eighth retention to be announced in due course.
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan (Platinum). Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw and Shan Masood (Diamond). Shahnawaz Dahani (Brand Ambassador) and Tim David (Gold). Abbas Afridi and Ihsanullah (Emerging).
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (Platinum). Sherfane Rutherford and Wahab Riaz (Diamond). Mohammad Haris (Gold). Aamir Jamal (Brand Ambassador), Salman Irshad and Tom-Kohler Cadmore (Silver).
Quetta Gladiators: Mohammad Nawaz (Platinum). Iftikhar Ahmed and Jason Roy (Diamond). Mohammad Hasnain and Sarfaraz Ahmed (Gold). Naveen ul Haq, Umar Akmal (Mentor) and Will Smeed (Silver)
Foreign players
Meanwhile, leading T20 cricketers from around the globe have registered themselves for the PSL Player Draft 2023. Four hundred and ninety-three players, of which 29 are in the Platinum category and 81 in Diamond (names below), from both full member and associate nations, have made themselves available for the player draft.
The maximum number of foreign players to register are from England (140). The next on the list — from full members — are Sri Lanka (60), Afghanistan (43), West Indies (38), Bangladesh (28), South Africa (25), Australia (14), Zimbabwe (11) and Ireland (nine).
Foreign players registered in the top two categories.
Platinum — Aaron Finch, Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Alex Hales, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Colin De Grandhomme, Dasun Shanaka, David Miller, Dawid Malan, Evin Lewis, Jimmy Neesham, Lungi Ngidi, Martin Guptill, Moeen Ali, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rehman, Nicholas Pooran, Odean Smith, Rahkeem Cornwall, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Rassie van der Dussen, Reece Topley, Saqib Mahmood, Shakib Al Hasan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills and Wanindu Hasaranga De Silva
Diamond — Adam Hose, Andre Fletcher, Andrew Tye, Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Bas de Leede, Ben Mike, Benjamin Cutting, Bjorn Fortuin, Brandon King, Cameron Delport, Carlos Brathwaite, Chadwick Walton, Charith Asalanka, Craig Overton, Daniel Sams, Daniel Worrall, David Wiese, Dominic Drakes, Dushmantha Chameera, Dwaine Pretorius, Evan Jones, Fabian Allen, Fazalhaq Farooqi, George Dockrell, Gulbadin Naib, Hayden Walsh, Hazratullah Zazai, Imran Tahir, Jacques Snyman, James Bracey, James Fuller, James Vince, Jamie Overton, Janneman Malan, Jason Roy, Johnson Charles, Josh Little, Keemo Paul, Kevin Sinclair, Kieran Powell, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Laurie Evans, Lendl Simmons, Lewis Gregory, Lewis McManus, Liam Dawson, Liam Norwell, Luke Wood, Maheesh Theekshana, Mahmudullah Riyad, Marchant De Lange, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Michael Rippon, Migael Pretorius, Mushfiqur Rahim, Najibullah Zadran, Nkrumah Bonner, Ollie Pope, Olly Stone, Oshane Thomas, Patum Nissanka , Paul Walter, Qais Ahmad, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Rilee Rossouw, Roelof van der Merwe, Roston Chase, Ryan Gibson, Shai Hope, Shane Dadswell, Sherfane Rutherford, Sikandar Raza, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed, Thisara Perera, Thomas Kaber Phillip, Wayne Parnell and Will Jacks
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