Sarfaraz, Malik released as player retentions confirmed ahead of PSL 2025 Draft

Ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 Players Draft on January 11, the six franchises have unveiled their retained players. While three teams exercised their full quota of eight retentions, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi opted to retain seven players each.

According to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), defending champions and three-time winners of the PSL, Islamabad United have retained their skipper Shadab Khan, who was also player of the tournament in their successful campaign last season, and star fast bowler Naseem Shah in the Platinum category.

Faheem Ashraf has been released by United but he will be available to be picked in the draft.

Multan Sultans, the runners-up of the last edition and winners of the PSL 2021, have retained captain Mohammad Rizwan and leg-spinner Usama Mir in Platinum.

Khushdil Shah and Abbas Afridi have been released by the Rizwan-led unit.

Quetta Gladiators have retained Rilee Rossouw, the leading run-getter among overseas batters in PSL history, mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed and pacer Mohammad Amir in Diamond category. Amir will also be the mentor of the side.

Mohammad Hasnain and Sarfaraz Ahmed have been released by Quetta ahead of the draft.

Babar Azam, the leading run-scorer (3504) in PSL history and the skipper of the side, and dynamic batter Saim Ayub have been retained by one-time winners Peshawar Zalmi in Platinum.

There was no room for Asif Ali, Aamir Jamal and Khurram Shahzad in retentions for Zalmi.

The PSL 2020 champions, Karachi Kings, have retained Hasan Ali and James Vince in Diamond. Skipper Shan Masood and emerging player/best fielder of the last edition, Muhammad Irfan Khan, have been retained in Gold.

Mohammad Nawaz, Shoaib Malik and Mir Hamza are among the players Karachi have released.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, the third leading wicket-taker in PSL history, and Fakhar Zaman, the second-leading run-getter in PSL, have been retained in Platinum by the two-time winners Lahore Qalandars.

Interestingly, the Qalandars have decided against retaining South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen.

Lahore Qalandars have the first platinum pick, while Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators will be the first to pick in the second and third Platinum rounds, respectively.

Full retentions:

Islamabad United (8): Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah (both Platinum), Imad Wasim (mentor) and Azam Khan (Diamond), Salman Ali Agha (Brand Ambassador) and Haider Ali (Both Gold, Colin Munro and Rumman Raees (both Silver)

Multan Sultans (7): Mohammad Rizwan and Usama Mir (both Platinum), David Willey (mentor), Iftikhar Ahmed (Brand Ambassador) and Usman Khan (all Diamond), Chris Jordan (Gold), Faisal Akram (Silver)

Peshawar Zalmi (7): Babar Azam, Saim Ayub (both Platinum), Mohammad Haris (Diamond), Arif Yaqoob, Mehran Mumtaz and Sufyan Moqim (Brand Ambassador) (all silver), Ali Raza (Emerging)

Quetta Gladiators (8): Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir (mentor) and Rilee Rossouw (all Diamond), Akeal Hosein, Saud Shakeel (Brand Ambassador) and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (all Gold), Khawaja Muhammad Nafay and Usman Tariq (Silver)

Karachi Kings (7): Hasan Ali and James Vince (both Diamond), Muhammad Irfan Khan and Shan Masood (both Gold), Arafat Minhas (Brand Ambassador), Tim Seifert and Zahid Mehmood (all Silver)

Lahore Qalandars (8): Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman (both Platinum), Haris Rauf (Brand Ambassador) and Sikandar Raza (both Diamond), Abdullah Shafique, Jahandad Khan and Zaman Khan (all Gold), David Wiese (Silver)

Successful category relegation requests:

Rumman Raees (Islamabad United), Hasan Ali, Shan Masood and Zahid Mehmood (all Karachi Kings), Abdullah Shafique (Lahore Qalandars), Faisal Akram (Multan Sultans)

Some of the star foreign players who have signed up for the draft:

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq Murid, Mohammad Nabi, Hazratullah Zazai, Qais Ahmad, Nangeyalia Kharote (all Afghanistan), David Warner, Cooper Connolly, Matthew Short, Riley Meredith, Sean Abbott, William Sutherland, Mark Steketee, Ashton Agar, Daniel Sams, Jason Behrendorff, Chris Lynn, Moises Henriques, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey, Josh Philippe, Benjamin Dwarshuis, Tanveer Sangha, Jake Lehmann, (all Australia), Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Tawhid Hridoy (all Bangladesh), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Billings, Jason Roy, Joe Clarke, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Alex Hales, Laurie Evans, Dawid Malan, Luke Wood (all England), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Michael Bracewell, Martin Guptill, Ajaz Patel, Colin De Grandhomme, Ish Sodhi (All New Zealand), Rassie van Der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Corbin Bosch, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Nandre Burger, Duan Jansen, Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder (all South Africa), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Dasun Shanaka, Dinesh Chandimal, Dunith Wellalage, Lahiru Kumara, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (all Sri Lanka), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson (All USA), Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Matthew Forde, Kyle Mayers, Andre Fletcher, Obed McCoy, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Dominic Drakes, Shamar Springer, Hayden Walsh Jnr (All West Indies), Ryan Burl, Blessing Muzarabani (all Zimbabwe)