World’s top two T20I bowlers and No.1 ranked all-rounder up for grabs in today’s HBL PSL 2021 Player Draft

Lahore:Chris Gayle will be one of the major potential picks when the HBL Pakistan Super League 2021 Player Draft takes place at the High Performance Centre on Sunday afternoon. The event proper will be staged in Karachi and Lahore from 20 February to 22 March.

Gayle, 41, has previously represented Lahore Qalandars (2016) and Karachi Kings (2017), and boasts one of the most remarkable and outstanding T20 careers – 411 matches, 13,584 runs, top score 175 not out, strike-rate 146.72, 22 centuries, 85 half-centuries, 1001 sixes and 80 wickets at an economy-rate of 7.64.

If Gayle succeeds in attracting the franchises with his stardom that backs his impressive T20 career, this will be the first time since 2006 that he will play competitive cricket in Pakistan. The Jamaican’s stints with Qalandars and Kings were in the United Arab Emirates.

Since the second half of 2019, all cricket has been played in Pakistan with the first-ever HBL Pakistan Super League taking place from start to finish in 2020. The international sides to tour during this period include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, while South Africa are due in Karachi next week. Also scheduled to visit Pakistan in 2021 are New Zealand, England (men’s and women’s) and the West Indies.

Gayle, a two-time ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winner, is one of over 400 foreign players from 20 cricket playing countries* who have expressed their availability and interest in one of the most competitive and high-quality leagues in the world.

England’s No.1 ranked Dawid Malan is also in the Draft, along with compatriots Moeen Ali, Tom Banton and Chris Jordan, although their availability is likely to remain limited due to their international commitments.

Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rehman of Afghanistan, world’s top two ranked bowlers, and number-one ranked all-rounder, Mohammad Nabi, will also be one of the major attractions of the Draft. They are among a strong field of 38 Afghanistan players, who have registered for the Draft.

South Africa’s duo of David Miller and Morne Morkel have also entered the Draft and will be hoping to be picked by one of the franchises so that they can also make their debuts in the event. Dale Steyn is the other leading South Africa cricketer who is available in the Draft.

Some of the biggest foreign names in the HBL PSL 2021 Player Draft are:

Afghanistan – Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rehman and Rashid Khan

Australia – Chris Green, Fawad Ahmed, Dan Christian, James Faulkner and Chris Lynn

Bangladesh – Anamul Haque, Mahedi Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed

England – Jake Ball, Moeen Ali, Tom Banton, Ravi Bopara, Joe Denly , Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett and Phil Salt

Ireland – Andy Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson

Netherlands – Roelof van der Merwe

Nepal – Sandeep Lamichhane

New Zealand – Anton Devcich and Mitch McCleneghan

South Africa – Kyle Abbott, Cameron Delport, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Tabraiz Shamsi and Dale Steyn

Sri Lanka – Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Avishka Fernando, Dimuth Karunarathna, Suranga Lakmal, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan, Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne

West Indies – Ronsford Beaton, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shane Dowrich, Dominic Drakes, Andre Fletcher, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Jason Mohammed, Sherfane Rutherford, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith and Chadwick Walton

Zimbabwe – Tendai Chisoro, Kyle Jarvis, Blessing Muzarabani, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams

Players retained/released/traded:

Islamabad United (retained) – Alex Hales (Platinum; traded from Karachi Kings); Asif Ali (gold); Colin Munro (diamond); Faheem Ashraf (diamond); Hussain Talat (gold, brand ambassador); Musa Khan (silver, successful relegation request); Shadab Khan (platinum); Zafar Gohar (silver, successful relegation request)

Released – Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Akif Javed, Amad Butt, Dale Steyn, Luke Ronchi (unavailable due to coaching duties in New Zealand), Phil Salt, Rassie van der Dussen, Rizwan Hussain, Rumman Raees and Saif Badar

Karachi Kings (retained) – Amir Yamin (gold); Arshad Iqbal (emerging); Babar Azam (platinum); Colin Ingram (platinum, traded from Islamabad United); Imad Wasim (diamond, successful relation request); Mohammad Amir (platinum); Sharjeel Khan gold) and Waqas Maqsood (silver, brand ambassador)

Released – Ali Khan, Awais Zia, Cameron Delport, Chadwick Walton, Chris Jordan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mitchell McCleneghan, Mohammad Rizwan, Umaid Asif, Umer Khan and Usama Mir

Lahore Qalandars (retained) – Ben Dunk (gold); David Wiese (diamond); Dilbar Hussain (gold); Fakhar Zaman (diamond, brand ambassador); Haris Rauf (diamond); Mohammad Hafeez; Shaheen Shah Afridi (both platinum) and Sohail Akhtar (silver, successful relegation request)

Released – Abid Ali, Agha Salman, Chris Lynn, Dane Vilas, Farzan Raja, Jaahid Ali, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Salman Butt, Salman Irshad, Samit Patel, Seekkuge Prasanna and Usman Shinwari

Multan Sultans (retained) – Shahid Afridi (platinum), Imran Tahir (diamond, mentor); James Vince (gold); Khushdil Shah (diamond); Rilee Rossouw (platinum); Shan Masood (gold, successful relegation request); Sohail Tanvir (Diamond, brand ambassador); Usman Qadir (gold)

Released – Ali Shafiq, Asad Shafiq, Bilawal Bhatti, Fabian Allen, Junaid Khan, Moeen Ali, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Irfan, Ravi Bopara, Rohail Nazir, Wayne Madsen and Zeeshan Ashraf

Peshawar Zalmi (retained) – Haider Ali (gold); Kamran Akmal (diamond, successful relegation request); Liam Livingstone (gold); Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz (both platinum)

Released – Aamir Ali, Adil Amin, Amir Khan, Carlos Brathwaite, Hammad Azam, Hassan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kieron Pollard, Lewis Gregory, Liam Dawson (unavailable), Mohammad Mohsin, Rahat Ali, Sikandar Raza, Tom Banton, Umar Amin and Yasir Shah

Quetta Gladiators (retained) – Anwar Ali (silver, successful relegation request); Azam Khan (gold); Ben Cutting (diamond); Mohammad Hasnain (diamond); Mohammad Nawaz (diamond); Naseem Shah (gold); Sarfaraz Ahmed (platinum) and Zahid Mahmood (silver, brand ambassador)

Released – Aarish Ali Khan, Abdul Nasir, Ahmed Shehzad, Ahsan Ali, Fawad Ahmad, Jason Roy (unavailable), Keemo Paul, Khurram Manzoor, Omair bin Yousuf, Shane Watson (retired), Sohail Khan, Tymal Mills (unavailable) and Umar Akmal (suspended).

*Players represent the following countries:

Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, United States, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

How the Player Draft works:

• Pick order (for first round only):

1. Islamabad United
2. Multan Sultan
3. Lahore Qalandars
4. Peshawar Zalmi
5. Quetta Gladiators
6. Karachi Kings

• The pick order for the remaining rounds was determined by way of a specially-designed statistical tool

• The Draft consists of 16 regular rounds with two supplementary rounds where teams can make discretionary picks

• The first three rounds are Platinum category rounds and teams must pick at least one local and one foreign player in the Platinum category. Next three rounds are Diamond category where teams must pick at least one local and one foreign player. Diamond category is followed by three rounds in Gold to complete the first nine picks for each team

• Teams must pick at least three foreign players in the first nine picks.

• In addition, there are five Silver and two Emerging category rounds to complete a roster of 16 players

• Each team can pick up to two additional players in the Supplementary round. All supplementary players shall be considered active members of the squad

• Each side must have a minimum squad of 16 players and can have a maximum squad of 18 players as per the following combination – three platinum, three diamond, three gold, five silver, two emerging and two supplementary (optional)

• The 16-player squad must include five foreign and 11 local players; while the 18-player squad can include six foreign and 12 local players or five foreign and 13 local players

• The playing XI must include a minimum of three foreign players and can include a maximum of four foreign players

• Each team has one wildcard pick this year that allows them to pick a player from Silver category and above in any category between Gold and Platinum.