Lahore: Pakistan’s all-format captain and the most successful batsman in the history of Pakistan Super League (PSL) Babar Azam will lead Peshawar Zalmi in the eighth edition of PSL.
With 2,413 runs under his belt in 68 matches, the iconic right-hander is the all-time PSL run-scorer.
Babar represented Islamabad United in the inaugural edition of the PSL. Babar was transferred to Kings before the PSL 2017 Players Draft. Since then, he has represented the Kings in six editions of the PSL and also captained the franchise this year.
King Bobby 👑⚡@babarazam258 Welcome to the #YellowStorm #BabarYellowStorm #Zalmi #HBLPSL pic.twitter.com/NF85NnQtDv
— Peshawar Zalmi (@PeshawarZalmi) November 11, 2022
The tournament will run from February 9 to March 19 next year and will be played at four venues in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Multan.
In one of the biggest trades of the tournament, 2017 champions Zalmi snapped up Babar in the platinum category and first pick Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik in the supplementary round to move the 2020 edition winners Karachi Kings to platinum and diamond. has been. categories, respectively, before the trade and retention windows close on Friday evening.
During the trade and retention window, a side can add up to eight players before the PSL Player Draft, increasing the squad to 18 players – three in the Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories, five in Silver, two in Emerging and Above that. In two sub-categories.
Babar, who was at Islamabad United before moving to Karachi Kings, is the only platinum category player for Peshawar Zalmi.
Wahab Riaz and Sherfan Rutherford are in Diamond, while Mohammad Haris, who has lit up the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with his fearless batting, is in Gold.
Zalmi is the only team to retain seven players.
Haider is Karachi’s only player in the Platinum category, while Shoaib joins Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir in the Diamond category.
@SharjeelLeo14 @amiryamin54 @qasim_akram1122 @mirhamza_k retained for the #HBLPSL8 #HBLPSLDraft #HBLPSL #YehHaiKarachi #SharjeelKhan #AmirYamin #QasimAkram #MirHamza pic.twitter.com/xtXXFpa5SJ
— Karachi Kings (@KarachiKingsARY) November 11, 2022
They have retained Sharjeel Khan, Mir Hamza and Aamir Yameen in Silver category and Qasim Akram in Emerging.
Defending champions Lahore Qalandars have retained their captains Shaheen Afridi and Rashid Khan in the platinum category. All-rounder David Wiese remains in the diamond category.
Complete Retentions | #HBLPSL8 #DamaDamMast #MainHoonQalandar #Dilse pic.twitter.com/9U980o56hh
— Lahore Qalandars (@lahoreqalandars) November 11, 2022
While Lahore have retained seven players, they will announce the retention of their eighth player in due course.
Multan Sultans, winners of the 2021 edition and finalists in the last, have retained middle-order batsmen Khushdil Shah and Riley Russo in the diamond category and Tim David in gold.
🚨 #HBLPSL8 RETENTIONS 🚨
— Multan Sultans (@MultanSultans) November 11, 2022
The #SultanSquad looks lit 🔥. What do you think about our retentions? pic.twitter.com/Z0bghjLIcg
Their captain Mohammad Rizwan, the highest run-scorer in T20Is since the start of 2021 and player of the PSL 2021, is their only hold on Platinum.
Multan Sultans nominated fast bowler Shahnawaz Durmani joined David in the Gold category.
Islamabad United, winners of the inaugural and third editions in 2016 and 2018, have retained their captain Shadab in the platinum category. They have placed two players in the diamond in which Asif Ali has been named as the brand ambassador and Muhammad Wasim Jr. Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali will remain with United in gold.
🚨 Retained #Sherus for the #HBLPSL8🚨
— Islamabad United (@IsbUnited) November 11, 2022
Platinum= Shadab Khan
Diamond= Asif Ali (Brand Ambassador), Wasim Jr
Gold= Hassan Ali, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf
Silver= Coin Munro (Mentor), Paul Stirling #UnitedWeWin #RedHotSquad🦁 pic.twitter.com/34Gr32E33y
Quetta Gladiators have retained Mohammad Nawaz in Platinum, who was with them since the inaugural edition.
Jason Roy and Iftikhar Ahmed have been retained in the diamond category. Their captains Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Hasnain (brand ambassador) are in the gold category.
🚨 GLADIATORS RETENTIONS 🚨@SarfarazA_54 @mnawaz94 @JasonRoy20 @IftiAhmed221 @MHasnainPak @will_smeed @Umar96Akmal @imnaveenulhaq @thePSLt20 8️⃣#HBLPSL8 #PurpleForce pic.twitter.com/W3I3iRS0IR
— Quetta Gladiators (@TeamQuetta) November 11, 2022
As it was last year, each of the six sides will have the Right to Match Card that will allow them to pick any player released from their roster during the draft.
The details of PSL Player Draft 2023 will be announced in due course.
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
