Player retentions for HBL PSL 2025 announced

The six HBL PSL franchises have announced their retentions ahead of the HBL PSL 2025 Players Draft which is scheduled to take place on 11 January.

Each franchise was allowed a maximum of eight retentions from their previous squad. Three franchises made full use of the retentions except Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi – who retained seven players each.

Defending champions and three-time winners of the HBL PSL, Islamabad United have retained their skipper Shadab Khan, who was also player of the tournament in their successful campaign last season, and star fast bowler Naseem Shah in the Platinum category.

Imad Wasim, who is also named as the mentor of United, has been retained in Diamond along with Azam Khan. In Gold, Salman Ali Agha has been named as the brand ambassador while Haider Ali has also been retained in the same category.

Colin Munro, the second leading run-scorer among overseas batters in the HBL PSL history, has been retained in the Silver category alongside Rumman Raees.

Full retentions:

Islamabad United (8) Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah (both Platinum), Imad Wasim (mentor) and Azam Khan (Diamond), Salman Ali Agha (Brand Ambassador) and Haider Ali (Both Gold, Colin Munro and Rumman Raees (both Silver)

Multan Sultans (7) Mohammad Rizwan and Usama Mir (both Platinum), David Willey (mentor), Iftikhar Ahmed (Brand Ambassador) and Usman Khan (all Diamond), Chris Jordan (Gold), Faisal Akram (Silver)

Peshawar Zalmi (7) Babar Azam, Saim Ayub (both Platinum), Mohammad Haris (Diamond), Arif Yaqoob, Mehran Mumtaz and Sufyan Moqim (Brand Ambassador) (all silver), Ali Raza (Emerging)

Quetta Gladiators (8) Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir (mentor) and Rilee Rossouw (all Diamond), Akeal Hosein, Saud Shakeel (Brand Ambassador) and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (all Gold), Khawaja Muhammad Nafay and Usman Tariq (Silver)

Karachi Kings (7) Hasan Ali and James Vince (both Diamond), Muhammad Irfan Khan and Shan Masood (both Gold), Arafat Minhas (Brand Ambassador), Tim Seifert and Zahid Mehmood (all Silver)

Lahore Qalandars (8) Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman (both Platinum), Haris Rauf (Brand Ambassador) and Sikandar Raza (both Diamond), Abdullah Shafique, Jahandad Khan and Zaman Khan (all Gold), David Wiese (Silver)

Successful category relegation requests:

Rumman Raees (Islamabad United), Hasan Ali, Shan Masood and Zahid Mehmood (all Karachi Kings), Abdullah Shafique (Lahore Qalandars), Faisal Akram (Multan Sultans)

Some of the star foreign players registered in the top two categories:

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq Murid, Mohammad Nabi, Hazratullah Zazai, Qais Ahmad, Nangeyalia Kharote (all Afghanistan), David Warner, Cooper Connolly, Matthew Short, Riley Meredith, Sean Abbott, William Sutherland, Mark Steketee, Ashton Agar, Daniel Sams, Jason Behrendorff, Chris Lynn, Moises Henriques, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey, Josh Philippe, Benjamin Dwarshuis, Tanveer Sangha, Jake Lehmann, (all Australia), Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Tawhid Hridoy (all Bangladesh), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Billings, Jason Roy, Joe Clarke, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Alex Hales, Laurie Evans, Dawid Malan, Luke Wood (all England), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Michael Bracewell, Martin Guptill, Ajaz Patel, Colin De Grandhomme, Ish Sodhi (All New Zealand), Rassie van Der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Corbin Bosch, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Nandre Burger, Duan Jansen, Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder (all South Africa), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Dasun Shanaka, Dinesh Chandimal, Dunith Wellalage, Lahiru Kumara, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (all Sri Lanka), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson (All USA),  Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Matthew Forde, Kyle Mayers, Andre Fletcher, Obed McCoy, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Dominic Drakes, Shamar Springer, Hayden Walsh Jnr (All West Indies), Ryan Burl, Blessing Muzarabani (all Zimbabwe)