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

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.

“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.

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.

(Source: Express Tribune)