The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 players’ draft is set to be held in Lahore today, with teams set to pick players in different categories.
Pakistan’s biggest domestic cricketing melee is sure to surpass expectations this time promising everything to be bigger and better, this is the first time since its inception that the entire event is taking place in its home country of Pakistan.
The PSL franchises have set their eyes on picking players such as Jason Roy, Chris Lynn, Colin Ingram, and Dale Steyn during players’ draft for the fifth edition.
Five teams would pick seven players for the top-most and highly-paid category, Platinum. However, Peshawar Zalmi would not pick anyone from the top categories as they decided to retain Wahab Riaz, Hassan Ali, and Keiron Pollard in Platinum.
In the Gold category, Karachi Kings would have two picks, while the other teams would have one each. Following the Platinum, Diamond, and Gold categories, teams would also pick players in the Silver, Emerging, and Supplementary categories to complete their squad of 18 players.
Quetta Gladiators, on the other hand, would have the first turn in picking their choices in the first round of Platinum category and it is highly likely that they would opt for Jason Roy.
Recently, Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said his side had eyes on Roy. The World Cup 2019 winner is the most sought-after as at least two more franchises have privately conveyed to this correspondent that they wish to pick him if he is not picked by their turn.
Lahore Qalandars — who decided to retain Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez earlier — were eyeing Colin Ingram or Chris Lynn for the only available Platinum category. It is mandatory for the Qalandars, following their retention, to pick a foreign player in the Platinum category.
There will be five picks in the first round of platinum and two in the second one.
In the Diamond category, Zalmi would have the first pick, followed by Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Gladiators, and Multan Sultans.
Qalandars would not be able to pick any player in the Diamond category after they decided to retain Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Shinwari, and David Wiese in Diamond. Zalmi and Sultans would each pick two players in the Diamond category, while United, Kings, and Gladiators would have one pick.
It is mandatory for the teams to have at least three foreigners among the nine top-picked/retained ones.
The PSL’s fifth edition is slated to be played in February 2020 in four cities of Pakistan.
PSL 5 Draft Players List (International Players)
Platinum Players: Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, Rashid Khan, Dan Christian, Ben Cutting, Chris Lynn, Moeen Ali, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Jason Roy, Sandeep Lamichhane, Colin Munro, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard
Diamond Players: Roelof van der Merwe, Luke Ronchi, Kyle Abbott, Cameron Delport, Marchant de Lange, Rassie van der Dussen, Robbie Frylinck, Simon Harmer, Heino Kuhn, Duanne Olivier, Dane Vilas, Hardus Viljoen and David Wiese, Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka and Isuru Udana, Fabian Allen, Johnson Charles, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Daren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Oshane Thomas and Kesrick Williams
PSL 5 Draft Players List (Local Player Categories)
Platinum Players: Babar Azam, Mohammad Irfan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Aamir, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Shadab Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed
Diamond Players: Ahmed Shehzad, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Asif Ali, Usman Shinwari, Imam ul Haq, Umer Akmal, Iftekhar Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Haris Sohail
Gold Players: Aamir Yamin, Sohail Akhtar, Anwar Ali, Hussain Talat, Waqas Maqsood, Sohail Khan, Umer Amin, Mohammad Hasnain, Hammad Azam, Awais Zia, Sahibzada Farhan, Rahat Ali, Salman Butt,Aizaz Cheema, Saad Ali, Rumman Raees, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Sami, Shakeel Ansar, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Abbas, Shan Masood
Silver Players: Agha Salman, Mohammad Musa, Umar Siddiq, Umaid Asif, Khalid Usman, Nauman Ali, Ali Shafique, Mohammad Irfan Jnr, Naseem Shah, Hassan Khan, Ammad Butt, Danish Aziz, Ghulam Mudasir, Jalat Khan, Irfan Khan, Jaahid Ali, Gohar Ali, Samiullah, Ibtesam Sheikh, Jamal Anwar, Usama Mir, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Asghar, Ahsan Ali, Sameen Gul, Saud Shakil, Rizwan Hussain
Emerging Players: Ali Imran, Abrar Ahmed, Nabi Gul, Mohammad Junaid, Umair Masood, Mohammad Ilyas, Nasir Nawaz, Umer Khan, Mohammad Azam Khan
 2020 players' draft is set to be held in Lahore today, with teams set to pick players in different categories.){kind=link}