Teams announce retentions for Pakistan Super League 11
By Nawaz Gohar ; The franchises for the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have officially announced their retained players.
In a significant move, Peshawar Zalmi has retained Babar Azam, Lahore Qalandars kept Shaheen Afridi, Karachi Kings held onto Hasan Ali, Islamabad United retained Shadab Khan, and Quetta Gladiators kept Abrar Ahmed. However, several high-profile names, including Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Naseem Shah, and Saim Ayub, have been released by their respective teams.
Karachi Kings: Karachi Kings have retained fast bowler Hasan Ali in the Platinum category. Additionally, Abbas Afridi has been retained in Diamond, Khushdil Shah in Gold, and Saad Baig in the Emerging category.
Lahore Qalandars: The former champions have retained captain Shaheen Afridi in the Platinum category but made the bold decision to release Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman. Abdullah Shafique stays in Diamond, Sikandar Raza in Gold, and Muhammad Naeem in Silver. Notable releases include Salman Mirza (Diamond), Zaman Khan, Jahandad Khan, Asif Afridi, and Asif Ali (Gold), as well as Muhammad Akhlaq and Muhammad Azib (Silver).
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan remains the backbone of United in the Platinum category. Salman Irshad was retained in Gold, while Andries Gous was kept in the Silver category. In a major shake-up, the team released Naseem Shah and Sahibzada Farhan from Platinum. Other releases include Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, and Imad Wasim (Platinum); Azam Khan, Haider Ali, and Rumman Raees (Gold); and Mohammad Faiq and Hunain Shah (Silver).
Quetta Gladiators: Quetta has retained Abrar Ahmed in the Platinum category. Usman Tariq (Diamond), Hasan Nawaz (Gold), and Shamil Hussain (Emerging) have also been kept. The Gladiators released veterans Mohammad Amir and Faheem Ashraf from Platinum. Other releases include Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Wasim Jr. (Diamond); Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Khawaja Nafay, and Danish Aziz (Gold); and Mohammad Zeeshan (Emerging).
Peshawar Zalmi: Peshawar Zalmi has retained their talisman Babar Azam. They also kept Sufiyan Muqeem in Diamond, Abdul Samad in Gold, and Ali Raza in the Emerging category. Surprisingly, they have released the explosive young opener Saim Ayub from the Platinum category.
