Star overseas batters Steve Smith and Kane Williamson are unlikely to make themselves available for Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also awaiting clearance from the England Cricket Board (ECB) for participation of their players in the T20 tournament in April-May.
The PCB on Tuesday said top players such as David Warner, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes and Mustafizur Rahman will feature in the Platinum category during the players draft on January 11.
The other players in the Platinum category, which is the highest, include Australia’s Matthew Short, Riley Meredith, and Smith (subject to confirmation), along with England’s Rashid, Gus Atkinson, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Curran, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
New Zealand’s Finn Allen, Williamson (subject to confirmation), and Mark Chapman are also part of the platinum category. Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka and West Indies’ Shai Hope are also included in this category.
Apparently, Smith and Williamson have excused themselves from the PSL due to prior commitments.
The PSL, for the first time, will clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the PCB has been making efforts to secure the high-profile overseas players who were not picked in the IPL.
Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan will only be able to participate in the league as a batter due to his bowling ban.
Other players in the platinum category include Chris Lynn, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Kusal Mendis, David Willey, Usman Khawaja, Zak Crawley, Jason Roy, Michael Bracewell, and Alex Hales.
Australia’s wicketkeeper, Alex Carey, and a few other foreign players are placed in the Diamond and Gold categories.
