PSL 10: Players Retention and Trade Update
All teams have retained two to three players each. As you know, the retention process will officially take place this month, but the names of Pakistani local players who will be retained and their respective categories have started surfacing. We will discuss these names.
In addition, there is good and bad news for Karachi Kings’ fans. For Quetta Gladiators, there is also some bad news. We will talk about these updates as well. Furthermore, Peshawar Zalmi is expected to make a trade. We will discuss the trade and with which team it will happen. All of these updates are part of today’s latest PSL news.
Note: The PSL 2025 Draft will be announced on 11 January 2025.
PSL 10 Retention Updates
Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars has retained Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Platinum category. The names of Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf have also surfaced for the Platinum category. Usually, we don’t see three players in the Platinum category, so there’s a chance Haris Rauf might be placed in a lower category. However, this time, Fakhar has been retained in Platinum alongside Shaheen.
Peshawar Zalmi
For Peshawar Zalmi, Babar Azam and Saim Ayub will be retained in the Platinum category. Both will receive the same salary as Babar Azam.
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators has so far retained only one local player, Mohammad Amir, in the Platinum category. Notably, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who used to be a Platinum player, is missing. I believe Sarfaraz may now be placed in Silver or Emerging categories as a wicketkeeper. Quetta seems reluctant to retain Pakistani players this year. If they retain anyone else in Platinum, it will likely be Rilee Rossouw.
Islamabad United
Islamabad United has retained Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, and Imad Wasim. These three performed exceptionally well last season, with Shadab contributing both with bat and ball, and Naseem Shah impressing with his bowling. For now, these are Islamabad’s three main Pakistani retentions.
Multan Sultans
As for Multan Sultans, there’s curiosity around which category they will place emerging bowler Abbas Afridi.
Karachi Kings
For Karachi Kings’ fans, there’s no retention news yet. It seems the entire team will be reshuffled this year. Surprisingly, no Pakistani player has been retained so far in any category, including Platinum. I initially thought they might retain Shoaib Malik, as Quetta did with Mohammad Amir, but that hasn’t happened.
It looks like Karachi Kings is aiming for a completely new team and might target a player like Kane Williamson for captaincy. This could also mean the end of Shan Masood’s leadership role. Karachi Kings’ continuous team changes are affecting their consistency compared to teams like Multan Sultans, Lahore Qalandars, and Islamabad United, which maintain stable lineups.
Peshawar Zalmi Trade Rumors
Another update concerns Mohammad Haris. There’s speculation that Haris might be traded to another team, potentially for a fast bowler. Peshawar Zalmi struggled with fast bowling last season, so they might look to strengthen this area. Reports suggest Haris could join Islamabad United, and in return, Naseem Shah might head to Peshawar.
If Haris is traded, Haseebullah Khan will likely take over wicketkeeping duties for Peshawar Zalmi. For now, discussions are ongoing, and nothing has been confirmed yet.