by: Atika Mehboob TN Sport Pakistan:
As anticipation builds for the upcoming HBL PSL 9, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has now disclosed the Pick Order for the highly anticipated Player Draft. The draft is tentatively scheduled for mid-December, immediately following the conclusion of the National T20.
In a strategic move, Quetta Gladiators will kick off the HBL Pakistan Super League 2024 Player Draft with the first pick. Following suit, Karachi Kings and two-time champions Islamabad United will have the second and third picks, respectively. Peshawar Zalmi and last season’s runners-up Multan Sultans will take the fourth and fifth picks, while the winners of the past two editions, Lahore Qalandars, will conclude the first round with the sixth pick.
The selection order for the first round in the Platinum category is based on the inverse order of the previous season’s standings. To ensure fairness, each franchise will occupy the first pick in the first round of different categories. Quetta Gladiators will initiate the Platinum picks, Karachi Kings will lead the Diamond picks, Peshawar Zalmi will commence the Gold picks, Multan Sultans will start the Silver category, Islamabad United will take the first pick in the Emerging category, and Lahore Qalandars will have the first Supplementary pick.
The PCB had earlier opened the registration window for foreign players, with the flagship event tentatively scheduled from February 8 to March 24, 2024.
In the lead-up to the draft, franchisees will submit relegation requests for players before finalizing retentions. All teams will then have the opportunity to match the player’s base category following the submission of relegation requests. If the player’s base category is not matched, they may be relegated to a category below their base category.
As excitement builds for HBL PSL 9, cricket enthusiasts can look forward to the draft, set to take place in mid-December and shaping the rosters for the next thrilling edition of the league.
