The Pakistan Super League (PSL) draft buzzed with excitement on Wednesday as international stars and domestic heroes were picked to fill the rosters for the upcoming season. Headlining the newcomers were Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams (Karachi Kings), South African batsman Reeza Hendricks (Multan Sultans), and pace bowler Lungi Ngidi (Peshawar Zalmi), all gearing up for their maiden PSL appearances.
Familiar faces also made their mark, with reigning champions Lahore Qalandars retaining Fakhar Zaman and welcoming back South African batter Rassie van der Dussen to their platinum ranks. The Qalandars also secured the exciting talent of Sahibzada Farhan, the top scorer in the National T20 Cup.
International flair was further amplified with England’s Dawid Malan and David Willey joining the Multan Sultans alongside Hendricks, while Islamabad United opted for the English duo of Tymal Mills and Jordan Cox. Kieron Pollard, Tim Seifert, and Muhammad Nawaz added muscle to the Karachi Kings lineup, complementing Sams’ arrival.
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Peshawar Zalmi bolstered their bowling attack with Ngidi, while Asif Ali and Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad joined the squad. Quetta Gladiators reunited with Mohammad Amir and welcomed West Indian duo Akeal Hosein and Sherfane Rutherford.
The draft saw teams strategically fill their rosters across six categories: Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, Emerging, and Supplementary. With 485 overseas players vying for a spot, each team crafted a unique squad of 18 players.
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Full Squads:
Lahore Qalandars – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa) (all Platinum), Haris Rauf (Brand Ambassador), David Wiese (Namibia) and Sahibzada Farhan (Wildcard) (all Diamond), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan (all Gold), Mirza Tahir Baig (Successful relegation request), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Mohammad Imran, Ahsan Bhatti, Dan Lawrence (England) (all Silver), Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun Mahmood (both Emerging), Shai Hope (West Indies) and Kamran Ghulam (both Supplementary)
Islamabad United – Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Jordan Cox (Wildcard) (England) (all Platinum), Imad Wasim (Mentor), Azam Khan, Tymal Mills (England) (all Diamond), Faheem Ashraf (Brand Ambassador), Alex Hales (England), Colin Munro (New Zealand) (all Gold), Rumman Raees (Successful relegation request), Matthew Forde (West Indies), Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan (Silver), Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah (both Emerging), Shamyl Hussain and Tom Curran (England) (both Supplementary).
Multan Sultans – Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, David Willey (England) (all Platinum), Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Dawid Malan (England) (all Diamond), Abbas Afridi, Reeza Hendricks (South Africa), Reece Topley (England) (all Gold), Ihsanullah (Brand Ambassador), Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Ali, Usman Khan (UAE) (all Silver), Faisal Akram, Yasir Khan (both Emerging), Chris Jordan (England) and Aftab Ibrahim (both Supplementary).
Karachi Kings – Kieron Pollard (West Indies), Daniel Sams (Australia), Mohammad Nawaz (All Platinum), James Vince (England), Hasan Ali, Tim Seifert (New Zealand) (all Diamond), Shan Masood (Brand Ambassador), Shoaib Malik (Mentor), Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa) (all Gold), Mir Hamza (Successful relegation request), Muhammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Amir Khan, Anwar Ali and Arafat Minhas (all Silver), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Sirajuddin (both Emerging), Saad Baig and Jamie Overton (England) (both Supplementary).
Quetta Gladiators – Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Mohammad Amir (Platinum), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Jason Roy (England), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) (all Diamond), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Brand Ambassador) Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain (all Gold), Will Smeed (England), Saud Shakeel, Sajjad Ali Jnr, Usman Qadir, Omair Bin Yousuf (all Silver), Adil Naz, Khawaja Nafay (both Emerging), Akeal Hosein (West Indies) and Sohail Khan (both Supplementary).
Peshawar Zalmi – Babar Azam, Rovman Powell (West Indies), Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan) (all Platinum), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (England), Asif Ali (all Diamond), Mohammad Haris (Brand Ambassador), Aamir Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan) (all Gold), Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Daniel Mousley (England) (Silver), Haseebullah, Mohammad Zeeshan (both Emerging), Lungi Ngidi (South Africa) and Mehran Mumtaz (both Supplementary).
The PSL draft has set the stage for an electrifying season, with international stars like Sams, Hendricks, and Ngidi adding their firepower to established names like Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Amir. With balanced squads and a mix of experience and youthful talent, the 2024 PSL promises to be a T20 spectacle not to be missed!
Squad Source: IANS
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