The Pakistan Super League (PSL) announced renewals and retentions in the Silver and Emerging categories on Tuesday, ahead of its landmark player auction scheduled for February 11, as the league prepares for its 11th season, 24NewsHD TV reported.
The updated lists, released through PSL’s official social media platforms, include several players who have previously featured in the tournament.
The announcement was made by the existing six franchises, who revealed their retained players under the revised retention framework.
In the Silver category, Islamabad United retained Mohammad Faiz and Haneen Shah, while Peshawar Zalmi named Arif Yaqoob and Mehran Mumtaz.
Karachi Kings placed Mirza Mamoon Imtiaz in the category, alongside Quetta Gladiators’ Ali Majid and Lahore Qalandars’ Mohammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Naeem, and Mohammad Aazib.
Multan Sultans featured prominently in the Silver bracket, retaining Yasir Khan, Aamer Barkat, Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Altaf, Ali Imran, Jahanzeb Sultan, and Ubaid Shah.
In the Emerging category, three-time champions Islamabad United retained Saad Masood, Mohammad Shahzad, and wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghouri.
Karachi Kings held on to pacers Riazullah and Fawad Ali, along with wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig.
Peshawar Zalmi retained opening batter Abdullah Fazal, fast bowler Ali Raza, and Maaz Sadaqat, while Lahore Qalandars, champions of PSL 10, named left-arm wrist spinner Momin Qamar as their sole emerging retention.
Multan Sultans retained medium pacer Shahid Aziz and wicketkeeper Mohammad Zulkifal, while Quetta Gladiators opted to keep fast bowler Mohammad Zeeshan and opener Shamyl Hussain in the emerging category.
PSL 11 will mark the first time in the league’s history that players will be selected through an auction, rather than the traditional draft.
Under the new rules, each franchise is allowed to retain a maximum of four players, with only one retention permitted per category — a significant reduction from previous seasons, which allowed up to eight retentions and included mechanisms such as mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match (RTM) option.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has abolished the mentor, brand ambassador, and RTM clauses entirely, streamlining the squad-building process in a move aimed at improving competitive balance, transparency, and player earning potential.
The two newly inducted franchises, Hyderabad and Sialkot, will receive special provisions, allowing them to select and retain four players from the available pool before the auction.
Each team will also be permitted one direct signing of a foreign player who did not feature in PSL 10.
The PCB confirmed that PSL 11 will begin on March 26, 2026, and mark Faisalabad’s first appearance as a host city, joining Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi to expand the league to five venues.