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Dubai, not Lahore, likely to be venue for PSL draft

Players will already be in UAE, in October; no point holding it in Lahore, says management

Nabeel Hashmi June 30, 2016

Islamabad United pose with the trophy of the inaugural edition of Pakistan Super League in Dubai. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: The draft of the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is expected to be held in Dubai this year rather than Lahore because the national side will be in the Gulf state, hosting West Indies, during that time.

The inaugural edition of the players' draft was held in Lahore at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) but the management of the T20 league decided that since the players will be in Dubai, holding the event in Lahore would pose logistical problems.

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"All the national players will be in UAE in October and we want their participation in the draft thus it has been decided to host it in Dubai this time around," a PSL official told The Express Tribune.

"We'll also invite the West Indies players to grace the occasion. We want to make it [the draft] bigger this time around and hosing it in Pakistan without the players would mean nothing."

While the proposal makes sense, it has divided opinions as many feel it should have been staged in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the transfer and retention windows are already open for franchises to make any alterations to their squad, which includes retaining core players for the second edition.

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This year's PSL will see Lahore Qalandars, who finished last in the inaugural edition, have the right to make the first 20 picks followed by Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators, while defending champions Islamabad United will be the last ones to make their picks.

It has been learnt that superstars such as Brendon McCullum and Mitchell Johnson are expected to be part of the second edition of the PSL, while PSL Player Recruitment Head, Faisal Mirza, is looking to bring in more big names. The PSL Governing Council has also decided to increase the salaries of players by to 10 per cent in all categories.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2016.

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COMMENTS (6)

Woz Ahmed | 7 years ago | Reply I wanted to say let us find sporting events that China and we agree upon, then host them here , then I recalled China refused to pay Davis Cup Tennis with us at home this year :-(

Revenge | 7 years ago | Reply @Samir Do you lack common sense or never had it? His comment clearly suggests he's one of you. And there is no comparison between India and Pakistan. We play our home matches at home unlike you and not only that, we host WC events, tennis, wwe and what not. If any country needs to be fixed, its yours and whole world knows it. Also fixing comes naturally to you, isn't it ?