LAHORE – Nearly all the key members of the Pakistan T20I cricket team have been retained by their respective franchisees for the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 prior to the player draft 2019, which will take place on 6 December.
The list is headed by the T20I captain and world’s No.1 ranked batsman Babar Azam, who has been retained by Karachi Kings along with fast bowler Mohammad Amir, middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed and all-rounder Imam Wasim.
Reigning champions Quetta Gladiators have kept faith in former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed along with Mohammad Hasnain. The side have also withheld Shane Watson, player of HBL PSL 2019, besides Ahmed Shehzad, Umer Akmal, Mohammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah.
Islamabad United, champions in 2016 and 2018, have retained wrist spinner Asif Ali, Shadab Khan and Musa Khan along with New Zealand’s Luke Ronchi, player of HBL PSL 2018.
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez and Shaheen Afridi will once again be in Lahore Qalandars’ colours along with South Africa’s David Wise, Haris Rauf, Sohail Akhtar and Salman Butt.
Shahid Afridi has been retained by Multan Sultan, while their current Pakistan T20I player is Mohammad Irfan. The side has also retained England’s James Vince, Test opener Shan Masood and fast bowler Junaid Khan.
Peshawar Zalmi, winners in 2017, have retained Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz and Imam-ul-Haq, along with West Indies duo of Daren Sammy and Kieron Pollard, and Kamran Akmal, and Umar Amin.
Some of the most prominent names to be released are:
Alex Hales, Ian Bell, Mohammad Sami, Sahibzada Farhan (all Islamabad United), Colin Ingram, Mohammad Rizwan, Ravi Bopara (all Karachi Kings), Brendan Taylor, Carlos Brathwaite, Haris Sohail, Sandeep Lamichhane, Yasir Shah (all Lahore Qalandars), Dan Christian, Hammad Azam, Joe Denly, Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik (all Multan Sultans), Andre Fletcher, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Lendl Simmons, Tymal Mills (all Peshawar Zalmi) and Anwar Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Rilee Rossouw and Sohail Tanvir (all Quetta Gladiators).
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Complete list of players retained and released (each side was eligible to retain up to eight players):
Islamabad United
Players retained – Shadab Khan (Platinum), Faheem Ashraf (Diamond as Brand Ambassador), Asif Ali (Diamond), Luke Ronchi (Gold as Player Mentor), Hussain Talat (Gold), Amad Butt, Musa Khan and Rizwan Hussain (Silver)
Players released – Alex Hales, Cameron Delport, Chadwick Walton, Ian Bell, Mohammad Sami, Nasir Nawaz, Philip Salt, Rumman Raees, Sahibzada Farhan, Samit Patel, Waqas Maqsood, Wayne Parnell, Zafar Gohar and Zahir Khan
Karachi Kings
Players retained – Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir (both Platinum), Imad Wasim (Diamond as Brand Ambassador), Iftikhar Ahmed (Diamond), Aamir Yamin (Gold), Usama Mir (Silver) and Umer Khan (Emerging)
Players released – Aaron Summers, Abrar Ahmed, Ali Imran, Awais Zia, Ben Dunk, Colin Ingram, Colin Munro, Jaahid Ali, Liam Livingstone, Mohammad Rizwan, Ravi Bopara, Sikander Raza, Sohail Khan and Usman Shinwari (transferred to Lahore Qalandars)
Lahore Qalandars
Players retained – Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez (both Platinum), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Diamond as Brand Ambassador), David Wiese, Usman Shinwari (Diamond, Usman transferred from Karachi Kings), Haris Rauf, Sohail Akhtar (both Gold), Salman Butt (Silver).
Players released – AB de Villiers (not available in 2020), Agha Salman, Aizaz Cheema, Anton Devcich, Asela Gunaratne, Brendan Taylor, Carlos Brathwaite, Corey Anderson (not available in 2020), Gohar Ali, Hardus Viljoen, Haris Sohail, Hassan Khan, Mohammad Imran, Rahat Ali, Riki Wessels, Ryan ten Doeschate (not available in 2020), Saad Ali, Sandeep Lamichhane, Umair Masood, Yasir Shah
Multan Sultans
Players retained – Mohammad Irfan (Platinum), Shahid Afridi (Diamond as Player Mentor), James Vince (Gold as Brand Ambassador), Junaid Khan (Gold), Ali Shafiq, Shan Masood (both Silver) and Mohammad Ilyas (Emerging)
Players released – Andre Russell (not available in 2020), Chris Green, Dan Christian, Hammad Azam, Joe Denly, Johnson Charles, Laurie Evans, M. Irfan Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Junaid, Nicholas Pooran, Numan Ali, Qais Ahmed, Shakeel Ansar, Shoaib Malik, Steve Smith (not avaiable in 2020), Tom Moores and Umar Siddiq
Peshawar Zalmi
Players retained – Hasan Ali, Kieron Pollard, Wahab Riaz (all Platinum), Kamran Akmal (Diamond as Brand Ambassador), Daren Sammy (Gold as Player Mentor) Imam-ul-Haq (Gold) and Umar Amin (Silver)
Players released – Andre Fletcher, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Ibtesam Sheikh, Jamal Anwar, Khalid Usman, Lendl Simmons, Liam Dawson, Misbah-ul-Haq (not available in 2020), Nabi Gul, Sameen Gul, Samiullah, Sohaib Maqsood, Tymal Mills, Umaid Asif, Waqar Salamkheil and Wayne Madsen
Quetta Gladiators
Players retained – Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed (both Platinum), Shane Watson (Diamond as Player Mentor), Ahmed Shehzad (Diamond), Umar Akmal (Gold as Brand Ambassador), Mohammad Hasnain (Gold), Ahsan Ali and Naseem Shah (Silver)
Players released – Anwar Ali, Danish Aziz, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Fawad Ahmed, Ghulam Mudassar, Harry Gurney, Jalat Khan, Max Waller, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Azam Khan, Mohammad Irfan Jr, Rilee Rossouw, Saud Shakil and Sohail Tanvir
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Each side must have a minimum squad of 16 players and can have a maximum squad of 18 players as per the following combination – three platinum, three diamond, three gold, five silver, two emerging and two supplementary (optional).
Each side will have to pick three foreign players in their first nine picks.
The 16-player squad must include five foreign and 11 local players; while the 18-player squad can include six foreign and 12 local players or five foreign and 13 local players.
The playing XI must include a minimum of three foreign players and can include a maximum of four foreign players.
Event schedule will be announced in due course.
