Gwadar likely to host PSL 10 players draft

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is considering Gwadar, Balochistan, as the venue for the players' draft of its upcoming 10th edition. The speculation began after PSL Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer shared an image of Gwadar beach on his social media accounts, accompanied by a thinking face emoji.

Sources suggest that Gwadar is being considered as part of the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) efforts to expand the reach of the marquee tournament beyond the four major cities of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan. The official confirmation regarding the venue for the draft is expected within the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the registration window for overseas players to offer their availability for PSL 10 has already opened. Additionally, the PCB has announced the category renewals for 87 local players, including the promotion of Karachi Kings’ Hasan Ali, Quetta Gladiators’ Mohammad Amir, Peshawar Zalmi’s Saim Ayub, and Multan Sultans’ Usama Mir to the Platinum category.

These four players join Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah (Islamabad United), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans), and Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi), all of whom have been retained in the premium Platinum category.

The Diamond category for PSL 10 includes 16 players, including former Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik, and Test captain Shan Masood.

The players' draft for PSL 10 will take place on January 11, 2025.