LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) completed its player draft for the upcoming fourth season with all the six franchises participating in it. Some of the world’s top players will be featuring in the tournament once again, a majority of which will take place in the United Arab Emirates starting 14 February 2019.The players were selected from the following categories – Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, Emerging picks and Supplementary picks.
Lahore Qalandars got an early advantage in gaining the services of the now-retired South African batting great AB de Villiers in the platinum category. Pakistan’s opening batsmen Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez also featured in the category for the Qalandars. West Indies’ T20I captain Carlos Braithwaite has also made it to the team in the Diamond category.
The now-defunct Multan Sultans, which is being operated as the ‘Sixth Team’ by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) till the time a new owner isn’t confirmed, bagged ex-Australian captain Steven Smith as one of its three platinum players.
Smith, who is in the eighth month of his one-year ban imposed by Cricket Australia, has been plying his trade in other T20 leagues across the world, making him still amongst the most sought-after players for franchises. He has joined the likes of the team’s captain Shoaib Malik and ex-Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi in the team’s platinum category.
Season 2 champions Peshawar Zalmi retained West Indies’ World T20 2012 and 2016 winning captain Darren Sammy as a Diamond player. Ex-Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq and wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal were the other two players in the category. The squad also boasts of Pakistan pacers Wahab Riaz and Hassan Ali as well as Windies all-rounder Kieron Pollard in the Platinum category.
The Quetta Gladiators also possess tremendous firepower for a T20 franchise, opting for current Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed and the West Indies’ dynamic duo of Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo amongst their Platinum players. Narine and Bravo also play together for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.
Amongst its Diamond players, the 2008 IPL winning duo of Rajasthan Royals, Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir and Australia’s Shane Watson have been selected.
Karachi Kings, the franchise owned by Pakistan’s media scion Salman Iqbal of the ARY Group, will rely on the local duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir as well as New Zealand’s dynamic batsman, Colin Munro. Azam and Munro are ranked 1 and 3 in the ICC T20I batting rankings at present besides being the team’s Platinum picks.
In a major surprise, defending champions Islamabad United aren’t as strong on reputation this time as well besides young Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan (Platinum), former England batsman Ian Bell (Diamond), veteran Pakistani pacer Mohammad Sami (Diamond) and South Africa’s globe-trotter T20 specialist batsman Cameron Delport (Silver).
