The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled a list of 49 local players listed in the PSL 9 Gold category for the upcoming season nine’s draft.
Notable names like Aamer Yamin, Ahmed Shehzad, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Arshad Iqbal stand out in this category. The Gold list also features Bilal Asif, Bilawal Bhatti, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Umar Akmal.
The draft for PSL season nine is set for December 13, 2023, at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. The tournament is tentatively scheduled from February 8 to March 24, 2024.
Reports earlier mentioned that PCB plans to host PSL 9 across Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi.
While the proposed schedule sets the first match in Lahore on February 19, concerns have been raised by franchises about the weather making it tough for teams to train and play there.
Peshawar Zalmi is pushing for Peshawar’s inclusion, promising stadium completion in two months. But PCB hasn’t confirmed this yet.
There’s also talk about the final in Karachi on March 19, with worries about crowd turnout affecting ticket revenue. Multan Sultans offered to host the final at the Multan Cricket Stadium, expressing confidence in drawing a good audience.
PCB plans to reveal the official schedule on the day of the PSL 9 draft.
Recently, PCB disclosed the retained players’ list by all six franchises, with many notable names not retained. Trading actions saw Islamabad swap their Platinum pick for Naseem Shah with Quetta, who then exchanged Rilee Russouw with Multan.
Now, Multan holds the top pick in the Platinum and Silver rounds.