LAHORE: Pakistan all-format captain and the most successful batter in the history of the tournament, Babar Azam, will don Peshawar Zalmi colours in the eighth edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League.
In one of the biggest trades of the tournament, 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi snapped Babar in the Platinum category and the first pick in the supplementary round for Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik who move to Karachi Kings, the winners of the 2020 edition, in Platinum and Diamond categories, respectively, before the trade and retention window closed on Friday evening.
During the trade and retention window, a side can assemble up to eight players before the HBL PSL Player Draft, in which it can increase the squad side to 18 players – three each in Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories, five Silver, two Emerging and up to two Supplementary categories.
Babar Azam, who was at Islamabad United before moving to Karachi Kings, is the only player in Platinum category for Peshawar Zalmi. Wahab Riaz and Sherfane Rutherford are in Diamond, while Mohammad Haris, who has lightened up the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with his fearless batting, is in Gold. Peshawar Zalmi are the only side to retain seven players.
