ISLAMABAD, (TDI): New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell was the first pick in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 Player Draft, as two-time champions Lahore Qalandars secured the talented batter during the draft ceremony held in Lahore on Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.
Mitchell, who has played 70 T20Is, is set to make his PSL debut in 2025. The second pick of the first Platinum round saw 2020 PSL champions Karachi Kings acquiring left-handed batter David Warner. With an illustrious career boasting 12,727 T20 runs in 392 matches, Warner will also make his PSL debut this season.
Key Picks in Platinum Round One
Peshawar Zalmi exercised their Right to Match (RTM) option to retain Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who was initially selected by Quetta Gladiators. Kohler-Cadmore has been a key player for Zalmi in the past four editions. Quetta Gladiators added New Zealand’s Mark Chapman, a dual international who has played 81 T20Is over his 10-year career.
Multan Sultans picked all-rounder Michael Bracewell, while Islamabad United selected Matthew Short, enhancing their respective squads with explosive batting talent.
Platinum Round Two
Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings made two picks each. Quetta used a Wild Card to select all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and also picked aggressive New Zealand opener Finn Allen, who has an impressive T20 strike rate of 158.69.
Karachi Kings bolstered their pace attack by drafting Adam Milne and exercised their Wild Card to bring in Mohammad Abbas Afridi, the leading wicket-taker in PSL 2023.
Diamond Round Highlights
Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United, and Lahore Qalandars targeted overseas talent. Zalmi selected Corbin Bosch, United acquired Jason Holder, and Qalandars picked Kusal Perera.
Gold and Silver Categories
- Gold Round: Zalmi added Bangladesh’s pacer Nahid Rana, while United picked Australian left-arm fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis.
- Silver Round: Qalandars brought in Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, while USA’s Andries Gous was a notable addition to Islamabad United’s squad. Multan Sultans secured Irish pacer Josh Little and West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie.
Supplementary Picks
Karachi Kings signed Kane Williamson, joining a roster that includes Milne, Warner, and Litton Das. Other notable picks included Sean Abbott for Quetta Gladiators, Sam Billings for Lahore Qalandars, and Shai Hope for Multan Sultans. Shoaib Malik, a PSL veteran, was drafted by Quetta for his 10th consecutive season.
Emerging Talent
Quetta selected batting prodigy Hasan Nawaz, while Zalmi brought in all-rounder Maaz Sadaqat. Islamabad added Saad Masood and Hunain Shah, while Multan signed Ubaid Shah.
Final Squads
Islamabad United:
Matthew Short, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan (Platinum); Jason Holder, Azam Khan (Diamond); Ben Dwarshuis, Haider Ali (Gold); Andries Gous, Colin Munro, Mohammad Nawaz, Rumman Raees (Silver); Hunain Shah, Saad Masood (Emerging); Riley Meredith, Rassie van der Dussen (Supplementary).
Multan Sultans:
Michael Bracewell, Mohammad Rizwan, Usama Mir (Platinum); David Willey (mentor), Iftikhar Ahmed (Diamond); Chris Jordan, Mohammad Hasnain (Gold); Gudakesh Motie, Josh Little (Silver); Ubaid Shah (Emerging); Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (Supplementary).
Peshawar Zalmi:
Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Platinum); Corbin Bosch, Mohammad Haris (Diamond); Nahid Rana, Hussain Talat (Gold); Najeebullah Zadran, Max Bryant (Silver); Maaz Sadaqat (Emerging); Alzarri Joseph (Supplementary).
Quetta Gladiators:
Faheem Ashraf, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman (Platinum); Abrar Ahmed, Rilee Rossouw (Diamond); Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Wasim Jr. (Gold); Kyle Jamieson, Khawaja Nafay (Silver); Hasan Nawaz (Emerging); Sean Abbott, Shoaib Malik (Supplementary).
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Karachi Kings:
David Warner, Adam Milne, Mohammad Abbas Afridi (Platinum); James Vince, Khushdil Shah (Diamond); Shan Masood, Litton Das (Gold); Mir Hamza, Tim Seifert (Silver); Fawad Ali (Emerging); Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi (Supplementary).
Lahore Qalandars:
Daryl Mitchell, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi (Platinum); Kusal Perera, Sikandar Raza (Diamond); Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan (Gold); Asif Afridi, Rishad Hossain (Silver); Mohammad Azab (Emerging); Sam Billings, Tom Curran (Supplementary).
The PSL 2025 promises intense competition with fresh talent and seasoned stars poised to shine.
