Pakistan Super League retention window opens

Teams can decide which players they want to keep from first edition

Teams can decide which players they want to keep from first edition. PHOTO: PSL

KARACHI:
The five Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises can get down to business as the retention window is now open; meaning the teams are free to decide which players to retain and which to let go of.

The players to be offloaded will either be transferred to another team in exchange of another player or can be sent back to the drafts during the transfer window.

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An average increase of 5% in the salaries has also been implemented, with the total salary cap going from $1.1 million to $1.2 million.

The franchises can buy or trade players in the transfer window, which opens from June 20 and will run till August.

All agreements reached between the teams and the players need to be conveyed to the PSL so that a formal confirmation can be made.

Teams unhappy with draft order for next season

A new draft system implemented by the PSL has led to mixed opinions among the franchises, most of whom prefer the draft system of the first edition as they believe it provided for  equal opportunities.


The new draft system, however, is determined depending on the side’s finish last season. Lahore Qalandars, who finished bottom last time out, will have first pick in all 20 rounds. They will be followed by Karachi Kings, who came in fourth. Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators and champions Islamabad United make up the final three spots in that respective order.

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PSL officials argue that this draft system works well in America’s National Football League; where a similar, but not exactly identical, system is used.

The franchises that performed well in the opening edition, however, believe the PSL should be run on a model used in cricket.

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) uses a similar model where the worst team gets priority in the first round but then all picks are random after that, and the franchises would prefer something along those lines.

“Why can’t the PSL follow the CPL since it’s an established T20 league? It would be better to follow that model instead of giving one team all the first picks,” one of the franchise owners told The Express Tribune.

Which players do you think should be traded? Let us know in comments below

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2016.

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