NEW DELHI: Seasoned Australian batter Steve Smith became the most expensive player in Pakistan Super League history after being snapped up for PKR 14 crore through a direct signing ahead of the revamped 11th edition.
Smith, who is set to replace the injured Mitchell Marsh in Australia’s World T20 Cup squad, was signed by the newly introduced franchise Sialkot Stallions for approximately USD 500,000.
The PSL has expanded from six to eight teams, with the Pakistan Cricket Board rolling out a players’ auction system for the first time, ending the draft format that had been in place for over a decade.
The auction, held in Lahore on Wednesday, featured several high-profile overseas names including David Warner, Adam Zampa, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mustafizur Rahman, Devon Conway, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamshi, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Mendis and Marnus Labuschagne.
Big Buys, New Teams and Season Timeline
In total, 103 players were picked by the eight franchises. Fast bowler Naseem Shah turned out to be the most expensive Pakistani signing after Islamabad United secured him for PKR 8.65 crore. The franchise also added all-rounder Faheem Ashraf for PKR 8.5 crore.
Babar Azam was retained by Peshawar Zalmi for PKR 7 crore, while the costliest retention was Saim Ayub, who stayed on with the same franchise for PKR 12.2 crore.
The PSL is scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3 and will clash directly with the Indian Premier League, the most lucrative T20 league in the world.
Two new franchises, Sialkot and Hyderabad, have been added after overseas Pakistani businessmen purchased their rights for PKR 185,000 crore and PKR 175,000 crore respectively.
Meanwhile, Multan Sultans has been sold and rebranded as Rawalpindi following the acquisition of the franchise by new owners.
(With PTI Inputs)
