HBL PSL 11 heats up: star players moved to Platinum and Diamond

WEB DESK: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the renewal of local player categories for the 11th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (HBL PSL), with 89 domestic players distributed across five categories.

Six players, including T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, and Abrar Ahmed, were promoted to the Platinum category. Among them, only Sahibzada Farhan moved up from Gold; the rest were previously in Diamond. Established stars such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, Faheem Ashraf, Saim Ayub, and Mohammad Amir retained their Platinum status.

Eleven players were placed in the Diamond category, including Mohammad Wasim Jr., Sufyan Moqim, and Salman Mirza, who earned promotions from Gold. The Gold category featured 32 players, while Silver and Emerging categories combined accounted for 30 players. Notable promotions included Hasan Nawaz moving from Emerging to Gold, and several players moving from Emerging to Silver.

Franchise Retentions and Upcoming Player Auction

Franchises are permitted to retain up to four players, limited to one per category. Following retentions, teams will participate in the first-ever HBL PSL player auction on 11 February to complete their rosters. Registration for foreign players has been extended to 3 February.

Team-wise Category Distribution

Each franchise’s player allocations were announced, with detailed distributions across Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Emerging categories for Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, and Quetta Gladiators.

The PCB reminded media houses to use the official league name, HBL PSL, in all reporting, headlines, and bulletins.