On Wednesday, June 14, ten Pakistani players were successfully auctioned off at the Lanka Premier League (LPL). The auction saw some interesting bidding battles as countries competed to get star cricketers for the tournament, which will be held from July 30 to August 22, 2023.
Iftikhar Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, and Mohammad Nawaz were all acquired by the Colombo Strikers for $50,000, $40,000, and $30,000, respectively. These players will now work alongside Babar Azam and Naseem Shah, who were pre-signed by the team before the auction.
Mohammad Hasnain and Asif Ali both drew a lot of attention at the auction, with both starting at $30,000. B-Love Kandy eventually won the auction on Hasnain for $34,000, while Asif was purchased for his original price of $30,000. Kandy also chose Mohammad Haris and Aamer Jamal from Peshawar Zalmi, paying $20,000 and $10,000 for their services, respectively. Hasnain, Asif, Haris, and Jamal will now link up with Fakhar Zaman to make a powerful Kandy team.
Shoaib Malik, who previously represented the Jaffna Kings, found himself back in their employ after they paid him $50,000. The Kings have recruited Zaman Khan, a death overs specialist, to their roster for $30,000. Dambulla Aura also bolstered their bowling attack by signing Pakistani pacer Shahnawaz Dahani for a base price of $20,000.
However, not all Pakistani players were successful in the auction. Renowned cricketers such as Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, and Azam Khan remained unsold due to a lack of interest from participating franchises.
The following is a list of Pakistani players and the teams they will be representing in the LPL:
B-Love Kandy: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal
Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz
Jaffna Kings: Shoaib Malik, Zaman Khan
Dambulla Aura: Shahnawaz Dahani
Prior to the auction, several players were pre-signed by the franchises to ensure their participation in the tournament. Here are the pre-signed players for each team:
Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana, Naseem Shah, Chamika Karunaratne
Dambulla Aura: Mathews Wade, Kusal Mendis, Lungi Ngidi, Avishka Fernando
Jaffna Kings: David Miller, Thisara Perera, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mahesh Theekshana
B-Love Kandy: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fakhar Zaman, Angelo Mathews
Galle Gladiators: Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa
