Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah and all rounder Faheem Ashraf emerged as the biggest earners at the Pakistan Super League’s first ever player auction, commanding record fees as franchises reshaped their squads.

Naseem secured the highest bid of the event, moving from Islamabad United to Rawalpindi for PKR 86.5 million. Faheem Ashraf followed closely, returning to Islamabad United in an PKR 85 million deal.

With franchises allowed to retain only four players down from eight teams focused heavily on reacquiring familiar faces to maintain squad stability. Karachi Kings brought back their 2025 captain David Warner for PKR 79 million, while Lahore Qalandars ensured Haris Rauf’s return for PKR 76 million. Fakhar Zaman was retained by Lahore for an even higher PKR 79.5 million.

Quetta Gladiators welcomed back South African batter Rilee Rossouw, who played a key role in their 2022 title triumph, signing him for PKR 55 million. Karachi Kings also re-signed Hasan Ali for PKR 47.6 million.

International stars attracted strong interest throughout the auction. New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell triggered an intense bidding contest before Rawalpindi secured his services for PKR 80.5 million. Islamabad United responded by signing Mark Chapman for PKR 70 million. Among Australian players, Adam Zampa joined Karachi Kings for PKR 45 million, while veteran pacer Peter Siddle earned a PKR 25 million contract following impressive Big Bash League performances.

Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen, who had already made a direct signing in Marnus Labuschagne and retained Saim Ayub, took a measured approach during the auction. The Pakistan-American franchise reinforced its identity by signing Pakistan-born USA internationals Hammad Azam and Shayan Jahangir. Lahore Qalandars secured Ubaid Shah, the younger brother of Naseem Shah, while Hunain Shah initially unsold later joined Hyderabad Kingsmen.

The marathon auction, which ran nearly eight hours, saw limited bidding wars for domestic Pakistani players. A notable exception was teenage sensation Sameer Minhas, who impressed during Pakistan’s Under-19 Asia Cup triumph and was snapped up by Islamabad United for PKR 19 million. Meanwhile, PSL breakthrough star Shahnawaz Dahani surprisingly went unsold.

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Team Squads After PSL Auction

Hyderabad Houston Kings
Marnus Labuschagne, Saim Ayub, Akif Javed, Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan, Mohammad Ali, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Hassan Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Ottniel Baartman, Hammad Azam, Riley Meredith, Sharjeel Khan, Asif Mehmood, Hunain Shah, Rizwan Mehmood, Saad Ali, Tayyab Arif

Islamabad United
Devon Conway, Shadab Khan, Salman Irshad, Andries Gous, Faheem Ashraf, Mehran Mumtaz, Max Bryant, Mark Chapman, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mir Hamza Sajjad, Sameen Gul, Sameer Minhas, Shamar Joseph, Imad Wasim, Richard Gleeson, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Dipendra Singh Airee

Karachi Kings
Moeen Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Saad Baig, David Warner, Azam Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shahid Aziz, Mir Hamza, Adam Zampa, Hamza Sohail, Aqib Ilyas, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Johnson Charles, Muhammad Waseem, Ihsanullah, Rizwanullah

Lahore Qalandars
Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza, Mohammad Naeem, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Fakhar Zaman, Ubaid Shah, Mohammad Farooq, Dasun Shanaka, Parvez Hussain Emon, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Tayyab Tahir, Gudakesh Motie

Rawalpindi
Mohammad Rizwan, Sam Billings, Zaman Khan, Yasir Khan, Naseem Shah, Rishad Hossain, Daryl Mitchell, Mohammad Amir, Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Dian Forrestor, Laurie Evans, Asif Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Fawad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Shahzaib Khan

Peshawar Zalmi
Aaron Hardie, Babar Azam, Sufyan Moqim, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Aamir Jamal, Khuram Shahzad, Mohammad Haris, Khalid Usman, Abdul Subhan, James Vince, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mirza Tahir Baig, Kashif Ali

Quetta Gladiators
Spencer Johnson, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Hasan Nawaz, Shamyl Hussain, Rilee Rossouw, Faisal Akram, Arafat Minhas, Jahandad Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Wasim Akram Jnr, Khan Zaib, Bismillah Khan, Saqib Khan, Brett Hampton, Sam Harper, Bevon Jacobs, Saud Shakeel, Ben McDermott, Tom Curran

Sialkot Stallionz
Steve Smith, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, Jahanzaib Sultan, Sahibzada Farhan, Ashton Turner, Peter Siddle, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lachlan Shaw, Delano Potgieter, Josh Phillippe, Shan Masood, Momin Qamar, Muhammad Awais Zafar