Author: A Sports

Three-time champions Islamabad United on Wednesday announced the retention prices of their three retained players ahead of the historic Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 players’ auction, scheduled to take place on February 11.

The franchise shared the details through its official social media platforms, confirming the amounts allocated to skipper Shadab Khan, pacer Salman Irshad and USA batter Andries Gous.

According to the announcement, star all-rounder Shadab has been retained in the Platinum category for a fee of PKR 70 million, while fast bowler Salman Irshad, who has been kept in the Gold category, will earn PKR 12 million.

Meanwhile, USA wicket-keeper Andries Gous has been secured in the Silver category for PKR 14 million.

🚨 Here you go!!

First Auction – Here are the retention amounts in PKR@76Shadabkhan – 7.0 Crore@Gousie08 – 1.4 Crore@Salman150kph – 1.2 Crore

Stay Tuned For More Big News!! 🙌#UnitedWeWin #SherusRetained #DimaghSe #NewEra pic.twitter.com/7CqhW9AQ1T

— Islamabad United (@IsbUnited) February 4, 2026

With these retentions, Islamabad United have so far spent PKR 96 million from the overall franchise budget ahead of the auction.

For the unversed, each franchise has been allotted a total budget of PKR 450 million for PSL 11, while an additional PKR 55 million has been reserved for direct signings under the league’s new auction-based model.

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Notably, PSL 11 marks a major shift in the league’s player recruitment process as the traditional draft system has been replaced by an auction format for the first time in PSL history.

On Tuesday, five out of the six old franchises announced their list of retained players, while Multan Sultans confirmed they will enter the auction with zero retentions, giving them the maximum purse ahead of the bidding process.

PSL 11 retentions

Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Shah Afridi (Platinum), Abdullah Shafique (Diamond), Sikandar Raza (Gold), Mohammad Naeem (Silver)

Quetta Gladiators: Abrar Ahmed (Platinum), Usman Tariq (Diamond), Hasan Nawaz (Gold), Shamyl Hussain (Emerging)

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (Platinum), Salman Irshad (Gold), Andries Gous (Silver)

Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (Platinum), Sufyan Moqim (Diamond), Abdul Samad (Gold), Ali Raza (Emerging)

Karachi Kings: Hasan Ali (Platinum), Mohammad Abbas Afridi (Diamond), Khushdil Shah (Gold), Saad Baig (Emerging)

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has recorded another major commercial milestone ahead of season 11 after successfully selling its international media rights, with the India region deliberately excluded from the deal.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the one-year agreement for global media rights, excluding India, has been awarded to Walee Technologies, which emerged as the highest bidder and surpassed the PCB’s reserve price.

The PCB further revealed that, on a comparable basis, the latest agreement reflects a 149 percent increase in value over the previous cycle, underlining the league’s growing global footprint and strengthening brand value.

PSL Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer welcomed the outcome and termed it a strong validation of the league’s commercial growth.

“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the International Media Rights sale, which has delivered a remarkable 149% increase over the last cycle for the same regions,” Naseer said.

“This growth is a strong validation of the HBL PSL brand, its competitive quality, and its increasing appeal to cricket fans around the world.”

He added that the league continues to attract strong interest internationally and remains on an upward commercial trajectory.

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“The HBL PSL continues to attract strong global interest, and this agreement reinforces our confidence in the league’s long-term commercial trajectory and its ability to deliver value across diverse international markets,” he said.

Naseer also acknowledged Walee Technologies for pushing beyond past benchmarks.

“We are grateful to Walee Technologies for stepping up the ante in the New Era and breaking past records,” he added.

Meanwhile, Walee Technologies CEO Ahsan Tahir expressed excitement over partnering with the marquee league, calling it a major moment for local innovation.

“This is a victory for every Pakistani who believes in ‘Made in Pakistan’ technology,” Tahir said.

“This is just the start of our HBL PSL journey. We have a lot of plans, and we’d like everyone to eagerly await everything Walee is about to do.”

Notably, the PCB’s decision to withhold PSL media rights for the India region comes amid strained relations between the two countries, with Pakistan recently announcing its decision to boycott the India clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

READ: Multan Sultans to go into PSL 11 auction with zero retentions

Multan Sultans have decided not to retain a single player from their previous squad ahead of the historic Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 players auction, scheduled to take place on February 11.

The upcoming edition of the PSL will mark a major shift in the league’s player recruitment system, as the traditional draft format has been replaced with an auction-based model for the first time in tournament history.

In the first 10 seasons, franchises were allowed to retain up to eight players before the draft.

However, under the revised PSL 11 regulations, teams were permitted to retain a maximum of four players across different categories, forcing franchises into tough calls ahead of the auction.

Multan had 18 players placed across various categories for the auction pool. Their captain, Mohammad Rizwan, was listed in the Platinum category, while Usama Mir, Iftikhar Ahmed and Usman Khan were placed in the Diamond category.

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The Gold category included Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Faisal Akram, Akif Javed and Tayyab Tahir.

Meanwhile, Yasir Khan, Amir Barki, Mohammad Junaid, Humayun Altaf, Ali Imran, Jahanzaib Sultan and Ubaid Shah were slotted into the Silver category, with Shahid Aziz and Mohammad Zulfikar listed under the Emerging category.

Despite having key players available for retention, the franchise confirmed through its official account on the social media platform X that it will enter the auction with zero retentions.

“Multan Sultans will enter the PSL Players Auction with zero retentions and a full USD 1.6 million in the purse,” the franchise wrote.

It is pertinent to mention that the Multan franchise is currently without an owner, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to conduct an auction for the franchise’s ownership rights, although the date for the bidding process has not yet been announced.

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The defending champions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Lahore Qalandars have released Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman ahead of the historic auction, which will be held on February 11.

The franchise revealed the retained players in an animated poster on social media.

Among the retained players are skipper Shaheen Afridi (Platinum), middle-order batter Abdullah Shafiqe (Diamond), all-rounder Sikandar Raza (Gold), and Mohammad Naeem (Silver).

 

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With the limitation to retain one player from each of the four categories, the Qalandars have let go of their ace duo of Zaman and Rauf, who were placed in the Platinum category alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi.

It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction format, marking a shift from the traditional draft system that has been in place since its adoption.

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Under the new structure, each franchise is allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

The PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: England defeat Australia to reach U19 World Cup final

BULAWAYO: Skipper Thomas Rew led from the front with a sublime century, ably backed by the bowlers, to power England to a 27-run victory over Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 here at the Queens Sports Club.

Set stiff 278, Australia fell short and were bowled out for 250 in 47.3 overs despite their skipper Olivier Peake’s spirited batting effort.

Notably, this is the first time since 1998 that England U19 have qualified for the final.

Will Malajczuk and Nitesh Samuel added 32 for the opening wicket in 5.4 overs. Malajczuk was trapped lbw after scoring 15 from 12 balls.

The next wicket also fell in quick succession as Steven Hogan was caught after managing just three from 23 balls.

As a result, Australia were under pressure early in their innings with 47-2 in 12.3 overs.

But Oliver Peake and Nitesh Samuel launched a recovery with a 62-run partnership and put the chase back on track.

The scorecard read 109 in 24.3 overs when Ralphie Albert provided the much-needed breakthrough in the form of Samuel’s wicket. He was out stumped after scoring 47 from 83 balls with the aid of a six and three fours.

The wicket brought England back into the mix as Australia lost two more wickets in quick succession. Consequently, they were reduced to 134-5 in 31.4 overs with Peake standing firm at one end.

He stitched a vital 46-run stand with Aryan Sharma for the sixth wicket partnership that revived their chase.

But Aryan’s brisk knock was ended on the fourth ball of the 37th over as England sniffed an opening. He made 34 from 23 with the aid of six fours.

England chipped in with a couple of more wickets, and Australia were left tottering for 207-8 in 42.1 overs.

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Australia’s hopes were all on Peak, who was standing firm and with his side requiring an uphill task to climb — 54 required from 30 balls, he did something magical to put his team back in the game.

In the 46th over of the game, Peak took on Lumsden for a six and four consecutive boundaries to bring down the equation to 32 from 24 balls.

However, he ran out of partners at the other end despite reaching his century, and eventually was caught at covers as the Three Lions sealed a memorable win.

The left-hander top-scored for his side with 100 off 88 balls, including a six and 10 fours.

For England, Sebastian Morgan and James Minto remained the standout bowlers with two wickets to their name.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, England racked up 277-7 in 50 overs.

England were put in early trouble at 60-3 in 14 overs when their captain Thomas Rew was joined by Caleb Falconer. The pair forged a 135-run partnership that laid a foundation for a strong total.

The stand eventually culminated in the 35th over with Calob Falconer’s wicket. The all-rounder made 40 off 53 with the aid of four boundaries.

Despite his wicket, Rew continued on and went on to score a century. His knock ended in the 42nd over. He managed 110 from 107 balls, peppered with 14 fours and a six.

In Australia, Hayden Schiller and Naden Cooray took a brace. Meanwhile, Aryan Sharma and Hayden Schiller took one wicket each.

READ: Quetta Gladiators retentions revealed for PSL 11

Peshawar Zalmi has retained ace batter Babar Azam for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, the franchise confirmed on Tuesday.

Zalmi shared the much-anticipated retention update in a social media post with an animated poster.

“Locked in and confirmed. Here’s the Yellow Storm shaping up for #HBLPSL11,” the caption of the post read.

Babar Azam (Platinum) has been retained, whereas the ace batter Saim Ayub was released as per the new framework of the auction system.

Saim Ayub joined the outfit in the 2022 season and played 33 matches, amassing 860 runs at a strike rate of 152.48.

 

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Besides Babar, Sufiyan Muqeem (Diamond), Abdul Samad (Gold), and Ali Raza (Emerging) also secured their spots in the team ahead of the auction.

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It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction model, marking a shift from the traditional draft system.

Under the new structure, each franchise is allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

The PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: Quetta Gladiators retentions revealed for PSL 11

Quetta Gladiators have announced their retentions for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, which begins on 26 March.

The outfit announced the retentions on their social media handles.

Among those retained are Abrar Ahmed (platinum), Usman Tariq (Diamond), Hassan Nawaz (Gold), and Shamyl Hussain in the emerging category.

“Retained. Reloaded. Ready,” Quetta Gladiators social handle wrote in an animated reel.

The winners of the 2019 edition had earlier revealed their category renewals, which included Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, and Abrar Ahmed in the Platinum category.

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The emerging category included Mohammad Zeeshan and Shamyl Hussain. While Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Hassan Nawaz, and Danish Aziz were named in the Gold category.

The diamond category included Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usman Tariq.

It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction format, marking a shift from the traditional draft system.

Under the new structure, each franchise is allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

The PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: Islamabad United retentions revealed ahead of PSL 11

Fast bowler Hasan Ali has been retained by the 2020 winners of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Karachi Kings ahead of the historic auction, scheduled to be held on February 11.

The Kings shared the retentions update in an animated poster on their social media accounts.

“Core secured. The KingsSquad starts strong as we present our top four retentions for HBL PSL 11,” the caption wrote.

 

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Hasan and Abbas Afridi are retained in the Platinum and Diamond categoryies respectively. All-rounder Khushdil Shah is retained in Gold, while Saad Baig is in the Emerging category.

The Kings have picked Khushdil Shah among the other players in Gold — Aamer Jamal, Irfan Khan Niazi, Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, Omair bin Yousuf, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Arafat Minhas.

All-rounder Abbas Afridi was picked over Test skipper Shan Masood, whereas Saad emerged as a pick in the emerging category, which included Riazahullah, Fawad Ali, and Saad Baig.

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Under the new structure, each franchise may retain up to four players, with one player per category.

This time, teams are not allowed to retain up to eight players, and have other provisions, such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option, which has been in the rules since the inception of PSL.

For the upcoming season, the PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

The PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

READ: Islamabad United retentions revealed ahead of PSL 11

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United has announced its retentions ahead of the landmark auction, scheduled for February 11.

The three-time PSL winners, United, have announced their retentions via their social channels.

Among those retained are skipper Shadab Khan, Andries Gours, and Salman Irshad.

“More big news coming soon. @shadab0800 – Platinum @salman150kph – Gold
@gousie08 – Silver. These are the 3 retentions for #HBLPSL season 11,” the caption of the post read.

 

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A post shared by Islamabad United (@islamabadunitedpsl)

In the Platinum category, Islamabad had named six players — Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, and Imad Wasim, the most among all franchises.

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In the Gold category, United have picked pacer Salman Irshad, a list which included Rumman Raees, Azam Khan, and Haider Ali. While they have decided to retain USA Andries Gous in the Silver category.

For the unversed, the PSL 11 will get underway on March 26, 2026, and will mark Faisalabad’s first-ever stint as a host city. The venue will join Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi, expanding the league to five host cities.

It is worth noting that PSL is set to move to an auction format, marking a shift from the traditional draft system.

Under the new structure, each franchise are allowed to retain up to four players, with one player per category.

Moreover, this time around, teams could not retain up to eight players, along with additional provisions such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.

For PSL 11, the PCB has also abolished the mentor, brand ambassador and RTM clauses altogether, streamlining the squad-building process ahead of the auction.

READ: Is Steve Smith joining Sialkot Stallionz for PSL 11?

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday confirmed that it has approved five bidders for the auction of the owner-less Multan Sultans ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11. 

The PCB confirmed the bidders in a press release following the technical evaluation of the proposals.

“A total of six proposals were received from interested parties within the stipulated deadline. The PCB bid committee then carried out a thorough and transparent evaluation process,” the PCB said.

“Out of the six proposals, five (5) bidders have been termed technically qualified, who will now take part in the Auction process of the Multan Sultans. The date and venue for the Auction will be shared in due course,” it added.

Following the announcement, the Chief Executive Officer of PSL, Salman Nasee,r expressed his excitement and shared his thoughts on the evaluation process.

“We are delighted to receive such keen interest in the sale of Multan Sultans’ Franchise Rights,” he said.

“The HBL PSL congratulates the technically qualified bidders and appreciates all parties who engaged with us through-out the tender process; with whom we will continue to explore other exciting opportunities,” he added.

He mentioned the league’s new era and expressed confidence ahead of the PSL 11 auction.

“I’m sure the fans are equally excited for another thrilling Team Auction before the focus shifts to all important Player Auction for HBL PSL 11. The final lineup of the eight HBL PSL team owners is going to set the ball rolling for the New Era of the HBL PSL 11,” he concluded.

For the unversed, the process began after the departure of Multan Sultans’ former owner, Ali Tareen, who announced in November that he was stepping away from the franchise.

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The reason for Tareen’s departure was strained relations with the PCB that had persisted for over a year, ultimately reaching a point of no return.

Subsequently, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced that the board would assume control of the franchise upon expiry of the existing ownership agreement on December 31, 2025.

The initial plan was for the PCB to operate the team for a year before auctioning it in 2027.

However, strong valuations achieved in the recent auction are understood to have encouraged the PCB to proceed with the sale of Multan Sultans earlier than planned.

The landmark auction, held at the Jinnah Convention Centre last month, saw FKS Group and OZ Developers acquire the newly added franchises from Hyderabad and Sialkot for Rs1.75 billion and Rs1.85 billion, respectively, expanding the PSL to eight teams from season 11.

READ: Hosts Sri Lanka unveil T20 World Cup 2026 squad