Renewed PSL Categories for Local Pakistan Players Revealed

PSL Categories Renewed for Local Pakistani Players in 2024

In preparation for the 2024 Pakistan Super League, nine players experienced category upgrades as part of the local player PSL Categories renewal process.

Among them, Quetta Gladiators Naseem Shah and Iftikhar Ahmed moved up from diamond to platinum, while Sarfaraz Ahmed transitioned from gold to diamond. Mohammad Haris of Peshawar Zalmi also saw an upgrade to the diamond category from gold, and Salman Irshad moved to gold from silver.

Notably, Multan Sultans Abbas Afridi and Ihsanullah were promoted to the gold category after emerging player status last year. Additionally, Islamabad United’s Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf were upgraded from gold to the diamond category. The renewal also saw shifts for Zeeshan Zamir from emerging to silver and Mubasir Khan from emerging to gold.

Conversely, some players faced demotions. Changes included Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta, Platinum to Diamond), Mohammad Hasnain (Quetta, Diamond to Gold), Haider Ali (Karachi, Platinum to Gold), and Asif Ali (Islamabad, Platinum to Diamond). Importantly, players with international representation for Pakistan cannot be relegated below the gold category.

The category renewal process involved franchise representatives voting for each player, with teams unable to vote for their own players. The list underwent review by key figures, including Director – International Cricket Usman Wahla and members of the national selection committee. The criteria for finalizing categories included national and domestic performances, as well as perceived T20 brand value.

Moving forward, franchises will submit relegation requests before finalizing player retentions. U23 players, acting as Emerging players, cannot be part of a squad for more than two years unless they play nine or fewer matches in that period.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier opened the registration window for foreign players. The flagship event is tentatively scheduled from 8 February to 24 March 2024.

PSL Categories renewal for local players

Islamabad United

1. Platinum: Shadab Khan
2.  Diamond: Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf
3.  Gold: Sohaib Maqsood, Abrar Ahmed, Rumman Raees, Zafar Gohar, Mubasir Khan
4.  Silver: Zeeshan Zamir
5.  Emerging: Hassan Nawaz

Karachi Kings

1. Platinum: Imad Wasim
2.  Diamond: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir
3.  Gold: Haider Ali, Aamir Yamin, Sharjeel Khan, Mir Hamza, Tayyab Tahir, Musa Khan, Qasim Akram
4.  Silver: Mohammad Ikhlaq, Mohammad Umar, Akif Javed
5.  Emerging: Irfan Khan Niazi, Faisal Akram

Lahore Qalandars-

1. Platinum: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman
2.  Gold: Hussain Talat, Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Mirza Tahir Baig, Zaman Khan
3.  Silver: Dilbar Hussain, Ahmed Daniyal, Ahsan Bhatti, Jalat Khan
4.  Emerging: Shawaiz Irfan

Multan Sultans

1.  Platinum: Mohammad Rizwan
2.  Diamond: Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir
3.  Gold: Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, Arafat Minhas, Shahnawaz Dahani, Anwar Ali
4.  Silver: Sameen Gul, Sarwar Afridi, Ammad Butt, Mohammad Ilyas

Peshawar Zalmi

1.  Platinum: Babar Azam
2.  Diamond: Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub
3.  Gold: Danish Aziz, Arshad Iqbal, Aamer Jamal, Salman Irshad, Usman Qadir, Haris Sohail, Sufyan Muqeem
4.  Silver: Khurram Shahzad
5.  Emerging: Haseebullah, Saad Masood

Quetta Gladiators

1. Platinum: Naseem Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed
2.  Diamond: Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed
3.  Gold: Mohammad Hasnain, Ahsan Ali, Umar Akmal, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saud Shakeel
4.  Silver: Bismillah Khan, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Zahid, Arshadullah
5.  Emerging: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Aimal Khan, Yasir Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay