The Pakistan Super League (PSL) delivered eye-catching numbers in its first-ever player auction, with Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf emerging as the biggest winners of the historic event. Naseem Shah commanded the highest bid of the auction, moving from Islamabad United to the new franchise representing Rawalpindi for a staggering PKR 86.5 million. The transfer made him the most expensive player of the auction.

Faheem Ashraf secured a lucrative return to Islamabad United for PKR 85 million. One of the most notable aspects of this auction was the reduction in player retentions. Teams were allowed to retain only four players instead of the previous eight. This change forced franchises to make tough decisions but also created opportunities for strategic reacquisitions. Many teams were keen to bring back familiar. Karachi Kings re-signed their 2025 captain, David Warner, for PKR 79 million.

Lahore Qalandars followed a similar blueprint. They secured the services of pace spearhead Haris Rauf for PKR 76 million. However, the franchise went even further to retain one of their most consistent performers, Fakhar Zaman, who was re-signed for an impressive PKR 79.5 million.

 All squads:

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

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

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