Live blog - PSL Player Draft 2024

So all of the teams jostled to get the best picks and have ended up with pretty strong squads, which heralds another fiercely competitive season of PSL that will likely have several ebbs and flows, and nail-biting thrillers. We hope you enjoyed our coverage of the PSL 9 draft as much as we did bringing it to you. Stay tuned for more squad updates, analysis, and news as we gear up for what is surely going to be another action-packed season. We look forward to seeing you in PSL 2024! This is Rvel Zahid, signing off. Goodbye and goodnight

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 last pick in the PSL 2024 draft is Sohail Khan, who secures a spot with Quetta Gladiators. The strongly built pacer bowls with a big heart and has a good yorker in his arsenal. While he is in the twilight of his career, his experience could prove handy for Quetta — a team which is desperate to win their second PSL title

6ft 5ins Jamie Overton goes to Karachi Kings. He will be making his PSL debut next year. Not only can he bowl rapidly but also chip in with the bat

Multan Sultans have brought in 19-year-old allrounder Aftab Ibrahim while Islamabad United draft England's adroit fast bowler Tom Curran who has been bowling supremely well in the ongoing Big Bash and just two days ago returned 3/19 against Hobart Hurricanes

Mohammad Haris announced the pick. Mehran Mumtaz will be making his PSL debut for Peshawar Zalmi in the next season. Lahore Qalandars have stuck with an integral member of their group Kamran Ghulam for the next season

South Africa's top-flight pacer Lungi Ngidi will join Peshawar Zalmi and will be leading their pace battery in his first stint at PSL.

Saad Baig will join Karachi Kings. Captain of the Pakistan Under-19 team, Saad Baig scored an unbeaten 68* not long ago against India in the ongoing Asian Cricket Council Under-19s Asia Cup and played a key role in the succesful run-chase. The 17-year-old up-and-coming left-handed batter hails from Karachi.

Akeal Hosein has got remarkable control with his off-spin and often teases the batters with his cunning spinning methods in the powerplay.

On the other hand, Shamyl Hussain first burst onto the scenes in the inaugural and only edition of Pakistan Junior League; he turned up for Gwadar Sharks and showed oodles of promise. Yesterday he scored 75 in the Under-19 game against Afghanistan in the ongoing Asian Cricket Council Under-19s Asia Cup

Lahore Qalandars sign West Indies wicket-keeper batter Shai Hope who I remember scored an enterprising century against Barbados Royals earlier this year in CPL and it was a brilliant 40-ball ton under pressure laced with some clean striking.

Chris Jordan goes to Multan Sultans; last season he turned up for Karachi Kings; a proven death-bowling specialist who can be trusted while defending a total.

Medium pacer Ubaid Shah joins Islamabad United. So all the brothers are in one team and nobody gets left out. Ubaid Shah has the ability to generate prodigious swing and is exciting to watch. He has been among the wickets in the ongoing Asian Cricket Council Under-19s Asia Cup. With a smooth and rhythmic bowling action, he is remarkably accurate with his lines and lengths. It's going to be fast and furious with too much pace to handle. The dressing room is expected to echo 'Shah' all the time

Qalandars have added Faridoun Mahmood to their squad who is a spinner and a product of their player development program. Interestingly, he has also played a game for Melbourne Stars

Right-arm medium bowler Sirajuddin, who hails from Bajaur Agency, goes to Kings. He was previously part of Peshawar Zalmi and is an up-and-coming pacer who will have a good learning opportunity. Batter Khawaja Mohammad Nafay goes to Quetta Gladiators

Quetta Gladiators choose Adil Naz as their emerging player. They have added another wily campaigner in their roster; he is in a rich vein of form as he picked 14 wickets in the recently concluded National T20

Islamabad United make the first pick and that is Naseem Shan's brother Hunain Shah so looks like we will see both brothers in action next season!

While playing for Abbottabad, left-arm pacer Shahab Khan snapped up 25 wickets in National T20 2023 picking up two four-wicket hauls and two fifers and with this pick, Silver Round four comes to an end

Naseem Shah, Azam Khan, and Shadab Khan will form the backbone of Islamabad United and they are assembling a strong squad for PSL 9; they could be a side to beat in the upcoming season

Mousley followed his protégés at Warwickshire, Ian Bell and Chris Woakes, in representing England at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa 2019-20, where he made a mark with a century in the Plate Final against Sri Lanka. He is also a handy offspinner, he signed his first professional contract with the Bears in 2019 and made his first-class debut against Essex in July that year. In 36 T20s, he has accumulated 672 runs at an average of 22.40

There has been a steady rise in Arafat Minhas' game. The slow left-arm bowler, who can also contribute with the bat, is waiting in the wings to seize the limelight on a bigger platform like the PSL. He has scored numerous half-centuries this year while representing the Pakistan team at Under 19 level. He idolizes David Miller and is regarded as one of the all-rounders touted to be Pakistan's future star in the format

Anwar Ali was with Quetta Gladiators before and will be playing for Karachi Kings in the next season. Do you still remember his destructive display in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup final against India? What an incredible display of fast bowling it was but then he withered away and couldn't cement his place in the Pakistan team but still is a utility cricketer in the shorter format.

Islamabad United have got Omair Bin Yousuf but wait, oh wait Quetta have decided to exercise their RTM card and now Islamabad United have instead gone for former under-19 Pakistan captain Qasim Akram who is a very useful all-rounder. He played Pakistan Emerging Cup and he was with Karachi Kings in the last season. In 54 T20s, Qasim has amassed 755 runs and took 24 wickets at an average of 23.66

UAE wicket-keeper batter Usman Khan has been drafted by Multan Sultans. The flamboyant opening batter was with Quetta in 2021. Peshawar Zalmi have signed Umair Afridi who has shed 12 wickets in four games with the best bowling figures of 4/21

Known as a basher of the ball, Dan Lawrence burst into Essex's senior ranks as a teenager. He fulfilled that promise when handed an England Test debut in Sri Lanka at the start of 2021, making a half-century in the first innings in Galle. He was with Quetta Gladiators before. In 107 T20s, he has scored 2398 runs and has got an impressive strike rate of 143.33

Son of Pakistan's best-known spinner, Abdul Qadir, Usman Qadir goes to Quetta Gladiators. He bowls a sharp googly, has got vast experience and will be handy without a doubt. He was representing Western Australia in 2018 and at one stage gave up on his dream of playing for his country of birth. He played for Sydney Club and also featured in a couple of Big Bash seasons

Quetta Gladiators add Sajjad Ali Jr to their squad while Multan Sultans have opted for Mohammad Ali who played two Tests for Pakistan last year against England in Rawalpindi and Multan. This brings an end to the Silver Round 2.

Mohammad Haris was retained in the Gold category and named the Brand Ambassador of Peshawar Zalmi

Left-arm spinner Ahsan Bhatti will be a handful. He has shown oodles of promise and has the ingredients to become a top-class spinner. Let's see how he makes use of this opportunity to play for a very popular PSL franchise.

Salman Ali Agha needs no introduction. He is part of the Pakistan team and the all-rounder bats in the middle order

Matthew Forde has represented West Indies and Saint Lucia Kings in the CPL. In 18 T20s, he scored 307 runs and picked up 22 wickets

It's encouraging to see a leg-spinner coming up the ranks, and he performed terrifically in the recently held National T20. Leg-spinners are always wicket-taking options, and he is certainly one who was brimming with talent in National T20. PSL 9 will give him an opportunity to hone his skills further

A medium-fast bowler, Mohammad Amir Khan, who hails from Swat, has been picked by Karachi Kings. They let one Amir go and added another. He was part of Peshawar Zalmi before, and he is still new to this stage, having only played 15 T20s with the best bowling figures of 4/35

The life of the party and a jovial character, who can consistently bowl at a hard length and clocks 140, stays with Multan Sultans where it all began for him

Salman Irshad will join Lahore Qalandars but hang on, Peshawar Zalmi have used tonight's first RTM card and decided to keep him with them. Irshad is a yorker specialist and was phenomenal this year in CPL and shown voluminous improvement. Irshad was part of Qalandars' Players Development Program and Qalandars were aiming to get their homegrown talent back on their side but they haven't been successful and Atif Rana sounds bittersweet about it

Tayyab Tahir has a solid temperament and he starred earlier this year against India in the final of ACC Men's Emerging Cup; he scored a spectacular 108 in the all-important final. He was with Karachi Kings before

Quetta Gladiators call the first shot and they have opted for Pakistan's middle-order batter Saud Shakeel (who will be playing in the first Test tomorrow against Australia in Perth). He is brilliant against spin as we have seen it in Test cricket and recently in the ODI World Cup in India. Saud likes to give bowlers a charge and finds it easy to pierce the gaps in the field

Left-arm England pacer Reece Topley can create a lot of problems for the batters as he extracts plenty of purchase due to his height and is always at you. He was part of Islamabad United in the last season. His career has been plagued with injuries, but he always battled through long, arduous rehabs and returned to the field

Another high-profile signing in PSL. A destructive T20 opener, Reeza Hendricks is known for his crisp shot-making and times the ball sweetly through the covers. He can switch gears pretty well towards the end of an innings. He made his international debut for South Africa in 2014.

Right so now we move to the Gold Category and there will be only three picks in this round. Naveen-ul-Haq, who recently retired from ODI cricket, is a highly sought-after cricketer in T20 leagues. He has got nerves of steel and has got plenty of tricks up his sleeve - a go-to guy, especially in the death overs

Sahibzada Farhan had a stellar run in the recently concluded National T20 and finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 492 runs. He thumped four half-centuries and scored a hundred against Larkana at the National Stadium. Given his rich vein of form, it only makes sense to have him as part of your batting resources

Karachi Kings have added swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter Tim Seifert from New Zealand to their squad. The hard-hitting batter can single-handedly demolish bowling line-ups and he often clears the fence effortlessly

Islamabad United have brought in Tymal Mills in their setup. He has been superb in T20 cricket and plays many T20 leagues around the world; he's someone who uses change-up deliveries to great effect. Mills will certainly bolster their bowling resources

Asif Ali wasn't retained by Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi have decided to add some firepower to their batting. Recently, Asif Ali, representing New York Strikers, slammed an unbeaten 48-run knock that helped them beat Deccan Gladiators in the final. Mohammad Akram said Babar Azam was keen on having Asif Ali in his side, and that factored into their decision

Dawid Malan joins Multan Sultans. The former T20I No.1 ranked batter will surely play an important part in their campaign. He has scored 8667 runs in 316 T20s

Karachi Kings pick Mohammad Nawaz as their last Platinum round pick and that also concludes the round. Nawaz was one of the key members of Quetta Gladiators, and it may not have been an easy decision to let him go

Karachi Kings have got hold of Daniel Sams for PSL 2024. Do you expect him to be a standout performer in the next edition? He can certainly add a lot of balance to the Karachi Kings team as they need match-winners to have a good season after an abysmal show last year

England wicketkeeper batter Jordan Cox goes to Islamabad United. He was sensational in the T20 Blast back in 2021. He can bat anywhere in the top six and is a dynamic player says Mike Hesson.

No surprises there; Qalandars have picked their stalwart Fakhar Zaman. He was blazing all guns in the ODI World Cup and roared back into form in some style. Fakhar Zaman ranks as the second-highest run-scorer in the PSL, amassing 2368 runs from 76 innings

Mohammad Amir is now a Gladiator. He bowled well this year in CPL and let's see if a change in franchise brings a change in fortunes for him and Gladiators

Zalmi have acquired the services of a dextrous spinner Noor Ahmad who was on top of his game in the recently concluded ODI World Cup in India. Mohammad Akram says there is a dearth of quality spinners so he was keen on having him in the squad

Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar announces that they have picked Sherfane Rutherford for the upcoming season. He was with Peshawar in the last season.

Kieron Pollard has been added to the Karachi Kings squad. A renowned power-hitter who can change the complexion of the game in a few overs

We're finally up and running! David Willey goes to Multan Sultans. Would he make an impact in the upcoming season? It'll be exciting to see how he fares in PSL 9

So, there needs to be one foreign player and one local player in the Platinum and Diamond categories. Teams have to pick 3 foreign players in the first 9 picks. 1 wild card and 1 right to match will be allowed per team

PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf is presenting souvenirs to the members of the PSL management and franchise owners. Finally, they appear serious about getting things underway, but fingers crossed

Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah have arrived at the venue. They are sparkling in those shades. It's good to see Naseem Shah smiling after overcoming a gruelling shoulder injury

"The target will be to win the competition; obviously, today is a big part of it. The trade window is very important to us to get that balance so that we can get a squad that we think can compete in PSL. We are no different than anybody else in terms of our targets and what our aims are as a team," said Mike Hesson

As an ardent cricket fan, it's truly a delight to watch PSL in Pakistan. There's always a buzz in the air and a festive vibe throughout the entire country during PSL. Grab your coffee on a cold evening in Lahore and see how the squads shape up, as we are not far away from the first Platinum round. Pre-draft press conferences have wrapped up and the team owners and coaches are taking their seats now

A whooping 485 international players have registered for the draft including the likes of Dawid Malan, Ashton Agar, Daniel Sams, David Willey, Tom Curran, Rassie van der Dussen, Kieron Pollard and Brandon King.

46 players have registered themselves in the Platinum category while 76 players are up for grabs in the Diamond category.

In another shake-up of the coaching staff at Karachi Kings, former West Indies all-rounder Phil Simmons has replaced Johan Botha. Phil Simmons had a long coaching run with West Indies and is at present the head coach of Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and LA Knight Riders in Major League Cricket (MLC). Last year, Kings finished fifth at the table and their campaign went haywire. There are plenty of areas that Phil Simmons would be keen to address including the underwhelming bowling performance and the team's lack of a finishing touch.

"Returning to Karachi, a city I hold dear from my playing days, feels like a homecoming," Simmons said.

Quetta Gladiators have inked a deal with Australia allrounder Shane Watson, who had been Gladiators' stalwart in previous editions, as their new head coach. He will be replacing Moin Khan who coached the side for eight years and will be now serving as team director in the upcoming edition. Watson retired from all formats of cricket in 2020 and then joined IPL franchise Delhi Capitals as their assistant coach in 2022. He amassed 1462 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 145.32 and took 48 wickets while maintaining an economy of 7.65.

Perhaps the most notable change in the coaching staff occurred in Islamabad United's camp. They have named erstwhile New Zealand and Royal Challengers Bangalore director Mike Hesson as their head coach for PSL 2024.

United were a formidable team in the early years of PSL and won two of the first three titles under the tutelage of late Dean Jones. Subsequently, Misbah-ul-Haq, Johan Botha, and more recently, Azhar Mahmood, assumed coaching roles, but none of them succeeded in inspiring and guiding the team to its third title victory.

United heaped praise on Hesson's "exceptional track record in international cricket and a reputation for strategic leadership", and added that he would bring "unparalleled excellence and experience" to the team.

"Mike is very strategic and analytical on his approach, has proven skills of creating new and modern ways of playing - something his NZ stint demonstrates - and is a great people-manager," United owner Ali Naqvi told ESPNcricinfo. "These are all the attributes ISLU has focussed on as a team from season one. In some ways he is a perfect fit. This is a big endorsement on the brand and quality of cricket played at PSL and how United is viewed by global cricket professionals."

In one of the most high-profile trades of the PSL, Naseem Shah ended his long association with Quetta Gladiators and moved to Islamabad United in exchange for Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim Jr. The highly sought after fast bowler is currently recovering from a shoulder injury and it remains to be seen if he will be fit at the start of the tournament. The 20-year-old pacer is in the final stage of his rehabilitation at NCA after he underwent surgery about two months ago in the United Kingdom.

Islamabad appears to have enough depth in their bowling arsenal to cover for him, even if he is unavailable early in the tournament. There were many takers for Naseem Shah, but after plenty of negotiation, Islamabad United secured the ace pacer for their squad

Leading run-scorer in PSL Babar Azam, who recently stepped down as Pakistan captain in all formats, is retained by Peshawar Zalmi in Platinum alongside West Indies power-hitter Rovman Powell. Mohammad Haris was retained in the Gold category and named the Brand Ambassador. Peshawar look top-heavy with Babar Azam and man-in-form Saim Ayub at the top.

Kohler-Cadmore has been a run-machine across all formats in his first season with Somerset this year and averaged 34.92 with a strike rate of 160.32. Rovman Powell played a few blistering knocks earlier this year in the Carribean Premier League (CPL) for Barbados Royals; it’s hard to stop him once he gets going and the swashbuckling batter often provides impetus towards the end of an innings. Not to mention, Mohammad Haris and Haseebullah will add more versatility to an already imposing batting line-up

Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam and Rovman Powell (both Platinum), Saim Ayub and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (all Diamond), Mohammad Haris (Brand Ambassador) and Aamir Jamal (both Gold), Khurram Shahzad (Silver), Haseebullah (Emerging)

Quetta Gladiators retained their middle-order rock Rilee Rossouw in Platinum and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in Diamond. Speedster Mohammad Wasim Jnr and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed were retained in Diamond and Gold, respectively, after a successful trade. A familiar face in Twenty20 leagues Jason Roy, who holds the elusive record of scoring the highest individual score in PSL history, was also retained in Diamond. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the team's Brand Ambassador, was retained in the Gold category.

Quetta Gladiators: Rilee Rossouw (Platinum), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Jason Roy and Wanindu Hasaranga (all Diamond), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Brand Ambassador) Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Hasnain (all Gold), Will Smeed (Silver).

Karachi Kings retained Shan Masood and Shoaib Malik in Gold. Shan Masood was traded for Faisal Akram before the trade window closed and was also named the Brand Ambassador of the team while seasoned campaigner Shoaib Malik was appointed as the team Mentor. Left-arm pacer Mir Hamza, who is currently with the Pakistan Test team in Australia, was retained in Silver after a successful relegation request

Karachi Kings: James Vince and Hasan Ali (Diamond), Shan Masood (Brand Ambassador), Shoaib Malik (Mentor) and Tabraiz Shamsi (all Gold), Mir Hamza (relegation request approved) and Muhammad Akhlaq (both Silver), Muhammad Irfan Khan (Emerging)

Multan Sultans retained their captain and a vital cog in their side, Mohammad Rizwan in the Platinum category. The other Platinum player is basher of the ball Iftikhar Ahmed who was added through a trade with Quetta Gladiators. The tearaway quick Ihsanullah, who ruffled many batters with his searing pace and bounce last season, won the PSL 2023 Player of the Tournament and has been named the Brand Ambassador for the upcoming season after being retained in the Silver category. Dextrous left-arm spinner Faisal Akram has been retained in Emerging through a successful trade with Karachi Kings.

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed (both Platinum), Khushdil Shah and Usama Mir (both Diamond), Abbas Afridi (Gold), Ihsanullah (Brand Ambassador, Silver), Faisal Akram (Emerging)

Islamabad United, who won the title in 2016 and 2018, retained their mainstay Shadab Khan and roped in Naseem Shah through a trade in the Platinum category. Imad Wasim, who has left Karachi Kings, will feature for Islamabad United in the Diamond category and he has also been appointed as the team's Mentor. Faheem Ashraf in Gold-category was named the Brand Ambassador and Rumman Raees was retained in Silver after a relegation request.

Rumman Raees has served as a bowling consultant for Islamabad United before and has been part of their core group. Looks like Islamabad will once again try to assemble a squad that has big hitters as their overseas signings and they already have plenty of firepower in their batting with Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Azam Khan and Imad Wasim in their ranks. Asif Ali wasn't retained, but his recent performance in the Abu Dhabi T10 League might just prompt United’s think tank to consider bringing him back into their lineup. Asif Ali represented New York Strikers and slammed an unbeaten 48-run knock that helped them beat Deccan Gladiators in the final

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah (both Platinum), Imad Wasim (Mentor) and Azam Khan (both Diamond), Faheem Ashraf (Brand Ambassador), Alex Hales and Colin Munro (all Gold), Rumman Raees (relegation request in Silver approved).

All teams have completed their trades and player retentions ahead of the PSL Player Draft 2024.

Each team was allowed a maximum of eight retentions and apart from Multan Sultans, every team utilized their full quota. Multan Sultans retained seven players.

Just like last season, Lahore Qalandars are expected to draft Fakhar Zaman, but this time around they don't have the first pick. They are likely to use their right-to-match card to keep their coveted asset in their side. Fakhar Zaman ranks as the second-highest run-scorer in PSL; he has amassed 2368 runs in 76 matches.

Lahore Qalandars, the defending champions, retained their captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, in the Platinum category. In the Diamond category, Haris Rauf assumed the role of the team's brand ambassador. Zimbabwe’s top-flight all-rounder Sikandar Raza, was retained in the Gold category, while Rashid Khan, was retained in Silver, despite potential tournament absence due to injury. Top-order batter Mirza Tahir Baig was successfully retained in Silver after a relegation request.

Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Shah Afridi (Platinum), Haris Rauf (Brand Ambassador) and David Wiese (both Diamond), Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique and Zaman Khan (all Gold), Mirza Tahir Baig (relegation request approved) and Rashid Khan (both Silver).

The newly appointed Karachi Kings coach, Phil Simmons, has touched down in Lahore for the PSL 9 draft

There have been quite a few cricketers who might have been lost in the labyrinth—that is Pakistan domestic cricket—had they not been scouted by PSL franchises and groomed. PSL has gained a reputation for being a highly competitive league where overseas players are challenged by domestic talent, particularly from pacers. The league has provided a platform for emerging young cricketers to hone their skills, serving as a launching pad for their careers by offering them invaluable exposure and opportunities to strut their stuff. It opens up more opportunities for them in the world of T20 leagues. Now let's see which franchise manages to build the strongest team that covers all the bases

Let's first take a look at the pick order so you won't be caught by surprise, and then we can move on to other matters. Multan Sultans will make the first pick in the Platinum category