PSL player draft next week

KARACHI: Participating franchises will be looking to rope in match-winners ahead of the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as the Player Draft is all set to take place in Lahore on December 21 and 22.

“Having opted to go for a Draft instead of a player auction, HBL PSL has ensured equal competition and financial viability for all stakeholders. Teams will be paying a fixed price for each buy instead of engaging in a bidding war,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Friday.

The Pakistan Super League kicks off in Dubai on February 4, 2016 as five city-based franchises vie for glory.

Players from 15 countries have been divided into five different categories – Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging. Each team will pick three players each from Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories. In these nine picks, a team must pick a minimum of four Pakistani and four foreign players. From the Silver category, a team will be asked to pick five players. Two players will be picked from the Emerging category.

Players placed in the Platinum category will receive $ 140,000, Diamond players will earn $ 70,000, Gold will earn $ 50,000, Silver will earn $25,000, and Emerging players will earn $ 10,000.

There are no designated icon players to ensure franchise owners can pick their own brand ambassadors. Five players, including the two Pakistanis, have been given the added role of being brand ambassadors for the PSL and their teams, in lieu of which they will be paid an additional amount aside from match fee. These players include Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson.

While a minimum squad will consist of 16 players, a team may choose to keep a squad of up to 20. Teams may choose to opt for a squad of up to 20 players based on two reasons. First, partial availability of some players may necessitate buying more than 16 players. Second, a team may want a bigger squad to cater for last minute injuries or to have a bigger pool of players available for selection.  All additional picks will be supplementary picks. The total salary cap for a squad of 16 is $985,000 and the total cap for a squad of 20 is $ 1.1 million.

The pick order for round 1, decided by a ballot held in the presence of all five franchises, will be as follows: Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, and Lahore.

For the next rounds, the draft order has been set using a method that ensures each team gets equal strength of picks. Every team will have the option of initiating two pick order trades for the entire Draft process with a total cap of $ 75,000.

The players who have agreed to be relegated in the next category will be transferred into the subsequent category in case they go unsold in their preferred category. All Pakistani non-selected players will be automatically relegated to the next category.

There can be one overseas and up to three local players allowed in the supplementary picks. A team may decide not to add more players to the list. Local players picked up in the supplementary picks may or may not be called up for duty by their respective teams and their contract shall only be enforced from the day of joining the squad at the venue.