PSL Auction 2026 Highlights: Most expensive picks, steal deals, and biggest surprises

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) conducted its first-ever auction on February 11, moving from the usual draft system in 2026. The league, which has expanded following the addition of Sialkot Stallionz and Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen, will have eight participants from the upcoming edition.

Ahead of the auction, each franchise was allowed to retain up to four players and had to build a squad of 16 to 20 players, including five to seven overseas players and at least two uncapped U23 players.

Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf had a big payday, as the former moved from Islamabad United to the yet-to-be-named Rawalpindi franchise for PKR 86.5 million, while the latter returned to Islamabad for PKR 80 million. Islamabad had earlier roped in New Zealand batter Devon Conway as a direct signing.

New Zealand duo of Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman also attracted significant attention, with Mitchell going to Rawalpindi for PKR 80.5 million and Chapman to Islamabad United for PKR 70 million. The Australian duo of Adam Zampa and Peter Siddle was snapped by Karachi Kings for PKR 45 million and 25 million, respectively.

Amongst other prominent returnees was David Warner, who joined Karachi Kings for PKR 79 million, having led them in 2025. Pacer Hasan Ali also returned to Karachi, bagging PKR 47.6 million.

Lahore Qalandars, meanwhile, snapped pacer Haris Rauf for PKR 76 million and retained Fakhar Zaman for PKR 79.5 million. Rilee Rossouw also headed back to his former franchise, Quetta Gladiators, as they secured his services for PKR 55 million.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad-based franchise retained Saim Ayub, while they had roped in Marnus Labuschagne through a direct signing. They also added Kusal Perera at the auction. Elsewhere, Sialkot Stallionz, who had picked Steve Smith as a direct signing, picked Sahibzada Farhan and South Africa spinner Tabriz Shamsi at the auction.

Most expensive signings of PSL 2026

PSL 2026 Steal Deals

Biggest surprises from PSL auction

Amongst batters, South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen, England’s Jason Roy and Dawid Malan, West Indies’ Brandon King and Evin Lewis, New Zealand’s Colin Munro, and Ireland’s Paul Stirling all went unsold.

In the bowling category, South Africa’s veteran spinner Imran Tahir, England pacers Tymal Mills and Reece Topley, West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph, and Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani garnered no interest.

It was a particularly brutal market for all-rounders as Bangladesh’s veteran Shakib Al Hasan, England’s David Willey and Tom Curran, West Indies’ Sheldon Cottrell and Odean Smith, and New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham found no takers.

Complete PSL 2026 auction squads:

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

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

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