The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is usually held in March, but due to the ICC Champions Trophy, the 10th edition of the tournament is expected to start in April this year. In preparation, the player draft for the tournament will take place on the 11th of this month. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already released the list of players included in the draft, featuring eight Bangladeshi cricketers.
This year’s draft will be held in the aesthetically beautiful city of Gwadar, located in Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan. A total of 510 foreign cricketers from 19 countries, including Bangladesh, have registered for the draft in five categories. Among them, the eight Bangladeshi players have been placed in the top two categories—Platinum and Diamond.
The Bangladeshi players are:
Shakib Al Hasan
Mustafizur Rahman
Mahmudullah Riyad
Taskin Ahmed
Hasan Mahmud
Rishad Hossain
Tanzim Hasan
Towhid Hridoy
This year, the PSL coinciding with the Indian Premier League (IPL) has caused some discomfort for players. However, many foreign players who did not get a team in the IPL have registered for the PSL draft.
Some of the big names include:
Australia: David Warner, Alex Carey, and Chris Lynn
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Tim Southee, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Finn Allen, and Mark Chapman
South Africa: Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, and Reeza Hendricks
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, and Pathum Nissanka
West Indies: Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, and Brandon King
England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, and Sam Billings
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Hazratullah Zazai
Zimbabwe: Ryan Burl
Previously, on January 1, Cricket Pakistan reported that 30 Bangladeshi cricketers had registered for the PSL. It is believed that the remaining players might be placed in the Gold, Silver, and Emerging categories.
