The newly branded Rawalpindi franchise of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has announced its player retentions ahead of the ongoing PSL 11 player auction.
According to details, Rawalpindi, now the most expensive team in PSL history, has retained Mohammad Rizwan in the Platinum category for PKR 5.6 crore. In the Diamond category, England’s Sam Billings has been retained for PKR 3.08 crore, while Zaman Khan was retained in the Gold category for PKR 1.12 crore and Yasir Khan in the Silver category for PKR 60 lakh.
The franchise was formerly Multan Sultans, which was acquired by Wali Technologies on February 9 for PKR 2.45 billion and rebranded as Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, the PSL 11 player auction continues in Lahore, with all eight franchises building squads of 16 to 20 players. Over 800 local and international players have registered for the auction.
In the ongoing auction, Islamabad United acquired Pakistani all-rounder Faheem Ashraf for PKR 8.5 crore, the highest bid so far, while former national all-rounder Imad Wasim went unsold. Australia’s David Warner joined Karachi Kings for PKR 7.9 crore. Quetta Gladiators purchased South Africa’s Riley Rossouw for PKR 5.55 crore. Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf was retained by Lahore Qalandars for PKR 7.6 crore, while Rawalpindi added Naseem Shah to their squad for PKR 8.65 crore. Several other players, including Hussain Talat, Saud Shakeel, and Ihsanullah, remained unsold.
Each franchise has a budget of PKR 50.5 crore to complete their squad. Islamabad United has PKR 34.6 crore remaining, Karachi Kings PKR 32.26 crore, and Lahore Qalandars PKR 31.36 crore.
