LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced the port city Gwadar, located in Balochistan, as the host for the player draft of the 10th edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“The ceremony that kicks off the league’s festivities will take place on Saturday, January 11, 2025,” said a statement issued by the cricket governing body.
The decision to choose Gwadar was made with the aim of taking the popular sport among the people in that part of the province and inspiring the next generations to take up cricket as a professional sport.
Meanwhile, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said: “Gwadar, with its stunning coastline and strategic importance, represents the heart of Pakistan’s economic future.”
“By hosting the HBL PSL Player Draft here, we aim to highlight its cultural and economic significance while celebrating the unity cricket brings to our nation,” he added.
Furthermore, he said he looks forward to welcoming all the franchises and the relevant stakeholders to the beautiful city of Gwadar on January 11 as “we take an exciting step towards marking the start of the 10th edition of Pakistan’s biggest sporting extravaganza.”
PSL Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer, in a statement, said: the initiative reflects the commitment to expanding PSL’s reach to every corner of Pakistan and showcasing the beauty of Pakistan to the world.
“PSL is more than a cricket league to passionate fans of Pakistan, it’s a celebration of Pakistan’s passion, diversity, and talent. The Player Draft taking place in Gwadar is a step towards inspiring young cricketers from Balochistan and other cities of the country to dream big,” he added.
The relegation process and retention of players will be announced at the end of December.
Since its inception, Islamabad United have been the most successful franchise, securing three titles, including the most recent.
Lahore Qalandars follow closely with two titles, while Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans have each won the tournament once.
Registration window
It is pertinent to mention here that the registration window for the overseas players to offer their availability for the PSL 10, has already been opened.
Whereas, the cricket board has also announced the category renewals of 87 local players for the upcoming edition of the marquee league, which saw Karachi Kings’ Hasan Ali, alongside Quetta Gladiators’ Mohammad Amir, Peshawar Zalmi’s Saim Ayub and Multan Sultans’ Usama Mir being promoted to the platinum category.
The four players join Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan Naseem Shah (Islamabad United), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans), Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi), who have all been retained in the premium category.
The Diamond category features a total of 16 players, including former Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik and Test skipper Shan Masood.