Karachi pick Amir, Peshawar bag Afridi

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir continued his reintegration into competitive cricket after being selected by Karachi Kings for the upcoming Pakistan Super League. Amir, who was one of 310 players open for the PSL draft, was picked by Karachi in the Gold category.

The draft on Monday saw Shahid Afridi (Peshawar Zalmi), Shoaib Malik (Karachi), Shane Watson (Islamabad United), Kevin Pietersen (Quetta Gladiators) and Chris Gayle (Lahore Qalandars) all bagged by their respective teams in the first round as Platinum players. Younis Khan and offspinner Saeed Ajmal, however, went unpicked. A total of 45 players were drafted among the five franchises. The teams had to pick three players each from the Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories, with a minimum of four Pakistanis and four foreigners.

Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman, who was recently included in the ICC's ODI team of the year, was taken by Lahore in the Gold category, while his fellow countryman Tamim Iqbal was chosen in the same bracket by Peshawar. Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, the other Bangladesh player to be drafted on the day, was picked in Platinum by Karachi.

Lahore were the only team to use up their full quota of foreign players, with Gayle, Mustafizur, Dwayne Bravo, Kevon Cooper and Cameron Delport all drafted during the day. Besides Cooper and Delport, 33-year-old Somerset batsman Jim Allenby was the only other uncapped player to be selected, by Peshawar in the Gold category.

The draft will continue on Tuesday, when each team will choose five players from the Silver category, and two from the Emerging category. Franchises will also have the option to bolster their squad strength to 20 by picking four supplemental players.

For the full list of players selected during the day, click here.