PSL 7 Draft explained: The players, the price brackets, the process

Ahead of the player draft for this year's Pakistan Super League, The Cricketer outlines what will happen in Lahore on December 12

When will the draft take place?

The draft for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League will take place at the High-Performance Centre in Lahore on Sunday, December 12.

In what order will teams pick their players?

Lahore Qalandars will have the first pick in the platinum, diamond, gold and emerging categories. They will be followed in the top band by Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.

The full order across all sections can be found below:

Here’s the updated Pick Order for the Draft, in line with the trades and retentions. #HBLPSLDraft pic.twitter.com/A6SWPNIwIL

— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) December 11, 2021

Where is the complete draft list?

Players who are part of the draft have not yet been confirmed but will become clearer once the retained lists from each team has emerged.

Which players have been retained?

Each of the six teams had until December 10 to confirm a maximum of eight retained players from last season's roster. All remaining players who wish to be considered for selection then go into the player pool for the draft.

Decisions are dictated by which category each players falls into, availbility and previous performances. Prior to the deadline, Shahid Afridi and James Vince swapped champions Multan Sultans for Quetta Gladiators, who have also picked up Iftikhar Ahmed during the off-season.

Islamabad United, meanwhile, signed up Azam Khan. The squads, as they stand, including those retained for the 2022 campaign can be found below:

Islamabad United

Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Azam Khan, Paul Stirling

Karachi Kings

Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Amir, Joe Clarke, Sharjeel Khan, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Ilyas

Lahore Qalandars

Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Akhtar, Zeeshan Ashraf, Ahmed Daniyal

^{Shahid Afridi and James Vince have moved to Quetta Gladiators (Getty Images)}

Multan Sultans

Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw, Sohaib Maqsood, Imran Tahir, Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dhani

Peshawar Zalmi

Wahab Riaz, Liam Livingstone, Shaoib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Haider Ali, Saqib Mahmood, Hussain Talat, Tom Kohler-Cadmore

Quetta Gladiators

James Vince, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah

What is overseas player availability set to be like?

The PSL starts the day before the conclusion of the Big Bash League, which could impinge on the initial availability of players.

There is also the prospect of the inaugural edition of the UAE T20 League, which does not have a start date but is likely to be staged between February and March.

Bilateral international series taking place simultaneously include England in the West Indies, New Zealand hosting the Netherlands, South Africa facing Australia and India taking on West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, there remain limits, restrictions and rules around global travel to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which may impinge on the availability of players for all or part of the competition.

^{Mohammad Rizwan has been moved into the platinum category (Asif Hassan/Getty Images)}

How can I watch the PSL draft?

Live footage of the draft will be accessible via the Pakistan Super League YouTube channel. The Cricketer will also be providing full coverage of all the moves.

When does the tournament start?

The PSL is set for its earliest start date, having been confirmed to kick-off from January 27 and run until the final on February 27. Matches will be split between Karachi and Lahore. The complete fixture list can be accessed here.