PSL 2020: Platinum category of foreign players revealed
South African pacer Dale Steyn will debut in the PSL 2020.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – The platinum category list of foreign players for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 has been released which debuts the legendary South African pacer Dale Steyn.
The draft of the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League is expected to be a star-studded affair with a plethora of crowd-pullers from all over the world set to throw their hat in the ring.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released an initial list of the Platinum players for the fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
List of international players who have registered in Platinum category to date
• Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman and Rashid Khan
• Australia: Dan Christian, Ben Cutting and Chris Lynn
• England: Moeen Ali, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Jason Roy
• Nepal: Sandeep Lamichhane
• New Zealand: Colin Munro
• South Africa: Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir
• Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera
• West Indies: Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard
This is the first time that Dale Steyn has thrown his hat into the ring of the Pakistan Super League, testifying the growing stature of the franchise-based league since its inception back in 2016.
Steyn seemed pretty excited to be part of the draft pool, where he said, “Cricket means the world to Pakistani fans and I am excited that I will get to be a part of the HBL Pakistan Super League draft pool.”
Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, next year’s trips will be their maiden cricket tours to Pakistan, if picked.
Moeen Ali said, “I am very excited that I am going to be a part of such an incredible pool of players for the HBL PSL Player Draft. On the circuit, players talk about the quality cricket that they have experienced playing in the HBL PSL and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Apart from Ali and Rashid, Jason Roy is the other World Cup winner to have registered for HBL PSL 2020.
Roy, who has previously represented Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators, said: “Pakistan cricket always offers unique and exciting stuff and this tournament is no different. They have some of the most passionate fans in the world and it is extremely heartening to experience this passion. I have had brief but memorable stints at the HBL PSL and it’s great to be back in the pool.”
Roy’s compatriot Alex Hales and West Indies’ star Kieron Pollard are familiar faces in the HBL PSL.
Alex Hales, who was picked by Islamabad United in 2018, said“I had a great experience playing in Karachi last year and I can’t forget the love that I received from Pakistani fans. HBL PSL has grown so much in such little time and it is definitely an exciting tournament to be a part of.”
Kieron Pollard, who played for Peshawar Zalmi in the 2019 event, said“Last year, I truly experienced what cricket means to Pakistani fans as I played in front of jam-packed crowds. It was definitely a highlight in my career and I hope that the HBL PSL festivity continues this season as well.”
Overall, the 28 players come from eight cricket-playing nations, with England boasting seven, South Africa six and the West Indies five, Afghanistan and Australia three each, Sri Lanka two and Nepal, and New Zealand one each.
While the PCB will announce additions to the list by or before 21 November,
HBL PSL Player Draft 2019 will take place in the first week of December (date, time and location to be confirmed in due course)
Revised salary caps are:
Platinum – PKR23m-PKR34m (approx. US$147K-US$218K)
Diamond – PKR11.5m-PKR16m (approx. US$73K-US$103K
Gold – PKR6.9m-PKR8.9m (approx. US$44K-US$58K)
Silver – PKR2.4m-PKR5.4m (approx. US$15K-US$35K)
Emerging – PKR1m-PKR1.5m (approx. US$6.5K-US$9.5K)
Budget cap for the optional supplementary round has been fixed at PKR 19 million (approx. US$120K) and the teams will be allowed to pick up to two players in this round
The registration window for the foreign players is still open and closes on November 21, following which an updated list will be released.
Steyn’s longtime South Africa team-mate Hashim Amla and England’s World Cup winners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid are the other international players in the preliminary list of 28 cricketers who have registered in the Platinum category for the HBL PSL 2020.
