Pakistani players were in great demand as the draft for the third edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) took place on Tuesday. The likes of Imad Wasim, Asif Ali, and Shoaib Malik bagged big contracts while six more Pakistani players were picked in the draft.
A total of 353 players registered for the draft with each of the five franchises allowed to pick a maximum squad of 20 players with not more than 6 overseas players in the setup. The draft included 180 foreign players and 173 Sri Lankan domestic, international, and ex-cricketers.
Imad Wasim was picked up by Galle Gladiators in the ‘International Ruby’ category, the highest category in the draft. The international ruby category has a pre-draft retainer of $60,000. Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf were picked in the International Sapphire category with a retainer of $50,000 by Colombo Stars and Galle Gladiators respectively.
Shoaib Malik was retained by Jaffna Kings in the International Diamond A category while talented young players, Azam Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Haider Ali were picked in the International Diamond B category.
Sarfaraz Ahmed and Usman Shinwari also bagged contracts by being picked in the International Platinum category.
The third edition of the LPL is scheduled to commence in the first week of August in Colombo and Hambantota with the final taking place on 21 August in Colombo.
Here is the list of Pakistani players picked in the LPL draft:
Player | Team | Category | Retainer |
Imad Wasim | Galle Gladiators | International Ruby | $60,000 |
Faheem Ashraf | Galle Gladiators | International Sapphire | $50,000 |
Asif Ali | Colombo Stars | International Sapphire | $50,000 |
Shoaib Malik | Jaffna Kings | International Diamond A | $40,000 |
Azam Khan | Galle Gladiators | International Diamond B | $25,000 |
Haider Ali | Dambulla Giants | International Diamond B | $25,000 |
Shahnawaz Dahani | Jaffna Kings | International Diamond B | $25,000 |
Sarfaraz Ahmed | Galle Gladiators | International Platinum | $15,000 |
Usman Shinwari | Kandy Falcons | International Platinum | $15,000 |
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