How PSL Draft Works? All You Need to Know

The PSL 10 draft will be announced in the early weeks of January next year. Let’s find out how players are picked in the PSL draft, what rules are applied, how the PSL draft works, the rules and regulations the teams adhere to, and the process teams follow to select players.

This comprehensive breakdown aims to answer all your questions about the PSL draft.

Overview of the Draft System

The draft system is designed to ensure fair and equal opportunities for all teams. Teams adhere to specific pick quotas and operate within defined economic limits while selecting players. The PSL draft system is not exclusive to the league, It is also followed in other leagues such as the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), The Hundred, Big Bash League (BBL), and UAE’s ILT20.

How Does the PSL Draft Work?

Before the main draft day, a pre-draft window is opened, allowing teams to carry out activities like:

Retention

Teams can retain players from their previous squads.

Trading

Teams can trade players with other franchises.

Releasing

Players not retained or traded are released back into the draft pool.

Each team can retain up to eight players, but only those originally picked in the previous main draft are eligible for retention. After retention and trade announcements, the process shifts to the main draft, the centerpiece of the draft mechanism.

Player Categories and Picks

The draft categorizes players based on their performance, experience, and overall brand value, as follows:

Platinum Category

Each team picks three players, with a mandatory condition of at least one local and one foreign player.

Diamond Category

Again, each team picks three players, following the same local and foreign player requirements.

Gold Category

Teams fill out the roster further, completing their first nine picks.

Silver Category

Each team makes five additional picks.

Emerging Category

Two players are picked here, and eligibility criteria include:

• Players must be under 23 years old.
• They must not have played more than 10 PSL matches.

Supplementary Category

This optional category provides a second chance for players not picked in the main categories.

Each team must have at least 16 players, with at least five foreign players.

Player Distribution and Squad Requirements

Players are categorized based on their performance, experience, and overall brand value. Specialized software generates the draft order for fairness. Each squad must consist of at least 16 players, including at least five foreign players.

Additional Draft Terms

Brand Ambassador

A player can be designated as a brand ambassador, which lowers their category by one level. For instance, Haris Rauf, initially in the Platinum category, was retained by Lahore Qalandars in the Diamond category as their brand ambassador.

Mentor

To qualify as a mentor, a player must either have captained their national team or played at least 100 international matches. For example, Islamabad United appointed Imad Wasim as their mentor because he fulfilled both conditions.

Special Draft Rules

Right-to-Match (RTM) Card

An RTM card allows a team to reacquire a previously released player during the draft, provided they have a slot available in the player’s current category. For instance, Lahore Qalandars could use an RTM card to reclaim Fakhar Zaman during the draft.

Wildcard Pick

Teams can promote a player from a lower category to a higher one during the draft. For instance, a team in the Diamond round can use a wildcard to pick a Gold-category player in Diamond. Both RTM and Wildcard can only be used once per draft.