PCB has revealed a list of 49 local players who have been confirmed for the Gold category in the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 player draft. The draft is set to take place at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore on December 13th, 2023.
Among the highlighted names in the Gold category are prominent domestic players like Aamer Yamin, Ahmed Shehzad, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Arshad Iqbal. Other big names include Bilal Asif, Bilawal Bhatti, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Umar Akmal.
The 9th edition of the PSL is tentatively scheduled to take place from February 8th to March 24th, 2024 across four host cities – Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi. The schedule is expected to be finalized and announced by the PCB on the draft day.
With the draft less than a week away, excitement is building around the league as franchises look to finalize their retentions and plan for the all-important draft.
There has already been some trade activity between franchises ahead of the draft. Defending champions Multan Sultans traded Iftikhar Ahmed and their first pick in the Platinum round to Quetta Gladiators in exchange for star batsman Rilee Rossouw. Quetta then traded Rossouw along with Naseem Shah and two other players to Islamabad United for Islamabad’s first pick.
There have been some concerns raised about the choice of venues, especially Lahore as the cold weather and fog could hamper play in February. Peshawar Zalmi has also been pushing for Peshawar to be added to the venue list. Meanwhile, franchises have suggested shifting the proposed final on March 19th in Karachi over concerns about low crowd turnout affecting revenue.
With the draft fast approaching, the final schedule announcement and the unveiling of retained squads will be key dates for fans to look out for. The player draft will also give the first indications of how the franchises are looking to rebuild for the 2024 season. An exciting few weeks are ahead as the PSL gears up for its 9th season.
