PSL 9 Mock Draft - A fun preparation for draft day
I run through the PSL Draft trying to build the best possible squads for each franchise
Mock drafts are something the Twitterati enjoy a lot, and while these are usually done in a group over a video call, I wanted to try something different and do a mock draft in article form. How this will work is I will make a pick for each team. It is pertinent to point out that this is only my point of view as to what would be the best for each team, while what I think will actually happen in the draft may be quite different.
The Pick Order
Following what was perhaps the most exciting trade window in PSL history, we see a bunch of picks traded around as teams sought to get the best possible picks in the categories where they need specific players. Karachi Kings is the only team whose platinum category is completely empty, and they will definitely be one of the more exciting teams to watch out for. The gold round only sees 3 picks, with 2 belonging to Multan Sultans, who will have the opportunity to pick out some exciting young local talent before we get into the silver rounds, where there is plenty of action to be expected across all the franchises.
How do the teams stack up after retentions?
Islamabad United came away with possibly the biggest trade the PCB has seen in its history, with Naseem Shah moving over from Quetta Gladiators, who got Abrar Ahmed and Wasim Jr. in return, in what can be seen as a win-win trade. Islamabad also added Imad Wasim, the all rounder of the tournament last season, to their ranks, with Hassan Ali heading to Karachi Kings. For Islamabad, they have lost 2 of their core pacers. While they have added the 2nd best pacer in Pakistan to their ranks, Naseem may not feature this season owing to his shoulder surgery recovery. Therefore, while their retentions look great across the board, work is still to be done.
Karachi Kings made the best of what was a very average player pool to say the least. It could be argued that they could have gotten more in return for Imad Wasim, which is my only real criticism of their trades. They have added Shan Masood to their ranks, who is likely to be appointed captain as well. He is the perfect kind of character to rebuild Karachi over the next 2 seasons and hand it over to someone younger when the team’s core has been built up. Mir Hamza and Shoaib Malik are 2 retentions that do not make much sense, especially when they could have retained the like of Tayyab Tahir, Qasim Akram and Haider Ali instead.
Multan Sultans made a good trade in Iftikhar Ahmed, though it could be argued they would come out of the trade window with Plan A going all wrong with them. You see, Multan’s trade for Iftikhar, which saw arguably their best batter Rilee Rossouw go the other way, also gave them the first pick in the draft. It was widely speculated that the intention was to draft Naseem Shah as his move to Islamabad had been rumored to have collapsed. With Naseem now off the market, Multan may not get the maximum value out of this trade. This is compounded by the fact that middle order talismen David Miller and Tim David are both not participating in the PSL this year. However, their draft picks are set up nicely, and Multan’s think tank is one to trust to make the most out of this.
Peshawar Zalmi come out of the retentions with their top 6 more or less settled. However, their bowling remains a problem area. They did not attempt to make a move for Naseem and they released both Arshad Iqbal and Sufiyan Muqeem. Both are currently rumored to be out injured for a while, so they will have to plan for the draft accordingly.
Defending champions Lahore come out with pretty solid and expected retentions. Their only concern would be finding a replacement for Rashid Khan, who they retained but will be out with injury. Beyond that, they still need a wicketkeeper and a revamped middle order.
Finally, Quetta, with whom I have had a tough relationship recently. Their retentions however have reeled me back in. They made a smart trade for Naseem, with both Wasim and Abrar filling gaps they have had in their 11 in the past. The only retention that is contentious as usual is that of Sarfaraz, but with rumors of him being stripped of captaincy, there may be light at the end of the tunnel after all.
Platinum Round Picks
Round 1
Multan Sultans - Kyle Mayers
Multan will need a left hander in their top 3, as well as someone more explosive to complement Rizwan. Mayers is the best possible option in platinum. While most people are suggest Dawid Malan, I feel Mayers would be the better option.
Karachi Kings - Mohammad Nawaz (WC)
Karachi need a local platinum, as well as an Imad replacement. Nawaz is the only option they really have to fulfil both.
Quetta Gladiators - Mohammad Amir (WC)
Similar to Karachi, Quetta also need a local platinum. Amir would complete their pace trio with Hasnain and Wasim Jr, which would see them come away with quite a balanced pace attack. Previously, their third pacer picks have often thrown the entire team balance off.
Peshawar Zalmi - Fazalhaq Farooqi
Speaking of pacers, Peshawar desperately need a top tier new ball pacer. Enter Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Quetta Gladiators - Sherfane Rutherford
Quetta’s squad construction lacks a number 6, and having already used their wildcard, Sherfane Rutherford would slot in perfectly.
Lahore Qalandars - Fakhar Zaman (Potential RTM)
Yeah we all know this is happening.
Round 2
Lahore Qalandars - Noor Ahmad
Noor fulfills the Rashid replacement quota for Lahore.
Islamabad United - Reece Topley
Islamabad will need a top tier new ball otion in Naseem’s absence. Topley is one of the finest around, provided he stay fit.
Karachi Kings - Luke Wood
Karachi also need a new ball option to replace Amir, and Luke Wood is someone who has shown great imrovement recently.
Karachi Kings - Kieron Pollard
Karachi will also need someone to slot into number 6. Even with age catching up, Kieron Pollard provides a good short term fix atleast for the upcoming season.
Diamond Round Picks
Multan Sultans - Leus Du Plooy
Multan’s middle order needs a major revamp, and Du Plooy is one of the best options around on the franchise circuit, both in terms of ability and availability. With Multan having the first pick in the diamond round, this is a no brainer.
Peshawar Zalmi - Azmatullah Omarzai (Potential RTM)
I originally had Omarzai down for Multan, but I am sure Zalmi intend to exercise their RTM on him, as his all round ability is extremely valuable.
Islamabad United - Lungi Ngidi
With Naseem likely to miss the PSL, Islamabad will need an extra pace option in their ranks, and Ngidi is someone who would do a good job to fill in the slot. He also provides them with some flexibility to manage Topley’s gametime.
Karachi Kings - Asif Ali
Karachi often found themselves lacking at the back end of the innings, apart from former captain Imad Wasim’s heroics, last season. Asif continues to be one of the best hitters of pace in T20s in the country, and would be a perfect pick for them.
Lahore Qalandars - Jordan Cox (wk)
Lahore desperately need a wicketkeeper, as well as a middle order option. Cox fulfills both, coming off a great year at franchise level.
Gold Round Picks
Peshawar Zalmi - Shahnawaz Dahani
Dahani has had a strong National T20, and would slot in well into Zalmi’s plans, should they not plan to hold onto Arshad Iqbal.
Multan Sultans - Blessing Muzarabani
Muzarabani is a player who I feel franchise cricket hasn’t been kind to. He definitely deserves more opportunities on the biggest stage, and would be a valuable pace option for Multan.
Multan Sultans - Sahibzada Farhan
Farhan has had an amazing domestic season, and would slot in well into Multan’s top 3 with Rizwan and Mayers.
Silver Round Picks
Round 1
Quetta Gladiators - Qasim Akram
Quetta’s number 5 slot is likely to be open, and Qasim is someone who would slot in perfectly. He also provides them with an additional bowling option. While he has not yet performed upto his potential, Quetta shouldn’t give up on this chance to get him.
Multan Sultans - Wayne Madsen
Madsen provides Multan with a lot of flexibility, with his ability to play anywhere in the top 4.
Lahore Qalandars - Mehran Mumtaz
Lahore may need a finger spinner on more turning and slow wickets, and Mehran is someone who can slot into this role perfectly
Multan Sultans - Arafat Minhas (Potential RTM)
If I am Multan, I use my RTM on Arafat at all costs. He is a rising star and is on his way to become one of Pakistan’s best white ball assets one day.
Karachi Kings - Salman Irshad
Salman is a very solid local pace option, particularly at the depth. He is likely to get good game time at Karachi, who do need such an asset.
Peshawar Zalmi - Nuwan Thushara
Thushara has been performing well recently on the franchise circuit, and would provide Zalmi with a similar profile to that of Irshad who they released.
Round 2
Peshawar Zalmi - Sufiyan Muqeem
Should hold onto him even if he is out injured.
Islamabad United - Usman Khan
Usman is now an overseas option. Fits the Islamabad brand well with his attacking game.
Islamabad United - Haider Ali
Islamabad should ideally have a local batter in their top 3. Haider has underperformed in the last 12-18 months, but Islamabad might be the perfect place for him to realize his potential.
Lahore Qalandars - Mubasir Khan
Mubasir is a star on the rise, and offers Lahore with an option to slot into either the middle or lower middle order. He can only get better from here and would be a solid investment.
Quetta Gladiators - Arshad Iqbal (subject to fitness)
This is assuming Arshad’s injury is not serious enough to keep him out of the PSL. Quetta could be well served by having Arshad’s new ball services available.
Multan Sultans - Paul van Meekeren
The quality of players available from this point on is mediocre to say the least, and these last 2 rounds are more so focused on securing squad depth rather than players who would be first choice for their teams.
Round 3
Quetta Gladiators - Sajjad Ali (wk)
Backup local keeper should rumors of Sarfaraz’s captaincy dismissal be true. He had a brilliant NT20.
Lahore Qalandars - Sohaib Maqsood
Solid backup option in the top 4.
Multan Sultans - Sohail Khan
Past his prime but still a smart bowler who is fit. Not a terrible bench option.
Peshawar Zalmi - Zafar Gohar
They could do with a finger spinner on the bench.
Islamabad United - Aamer Azmat
Flexible backup batting option, can play pretty much anywhere.
Karachi Kings - Rehan Ahmed
He won’t be available for most of the tournament, but is an asset on the rise. Karachi would be well served by investing in him now with the hope his aviailability is better next year. Should they make it to the latter stages of the tournament, he will most likely be available.
Round 4 - I really ran out of names that weren’t terrible at this point.
Karachi Kings - Omair Bin Yousuf
Peshawar Zalmi - Arif Yaqoob
Top 3 wicket-takers in NT20 this season.
Islamabad United - Tayyab Tahir
Quetta Gladiators - Salman Ali Agha
Emerging Round Picks
Round 1
Islamabad United - Hunain Shah
Islamabad have made it no secret in public that they want Hunain Shah, and looking at how stacked their batting is, it would be a no brainer to go for a pacer who is currently in high demand.
Peshawar Zalmi - Mohammad Umar
Peshawar already have a great emerging pick in Haseebullah, and Umar would provide an extra pace option to them, having had a great National T20 and also having represented Zalmi before.
Multan Sultans - Amir Hassan
Amir has been performing well at U19 level, and has the advantage of being a left arm pacers. Such a commodity would be a perfect investment for Multan Sultans.
Lahore Qalandars - Shamyl Hussain
Lahore will have to go for a batter as their primary emerging pick, as their bowling attack seems stacked even in the absence of Rashid Khan. Shamyl Hussain would stack up well with Fakhar up top. As I write these, he is currently smoking the Afghanistan U19s all over the ground. He also had a solid PJL showing.
Quetta Gladiators - Mohammad Zeeshan
Zeeshan is the latest exciting prospect to come off the Pakistani pace production lines. Quetta would be well served investing him from now. He had a good PJL as well as some great performances for the Pakistan U19s.
Karachi Kings - Saad Baig (wk)
Karachi need a wicketkeeping option better than Akhlaq, as well as a strong emerging player option should Irfan fail to impress again. Saad kills two birds with one stone, with some promising showings at U19 level.
Round 2
Quetta Gladiators - Yasir Khan (Potential RTM)
Yasir Khan could be Quetta’s first emerging pick, with him having a brilliant National T20. But with a RTM still in hand, I would robably hold off in the off chance Karachi do try to go for him.
Lahore Qalandars - Shawaiz Irfan (wk)
I would once again pick Shawaiz, as he provides them with a backup wicketkeeping option.
Islamabad United - Mohammad Amir Khan/Ubaid Shah
Islamabad will probably be best served by picking bowlers as both their emerging picks. Amir recently had a decent National T20, while if they are looking to have a bit of fun, maybe complete the Shah trifecta?
Supplementary Round Picks
Will only be doing one round of this to complete the foreign player quota. Just assume the second supplementary would be full of locals.
Lahore Qalandars - David Willey
A concern for Lahore will be the declining David Wiese. Willey provides a bit of insurance for Lahore, with a good backup should age finally catch up with the Qalandars legend
Multan Sultans - Sam Hain
Multan will probably look to further strenghten their depleted middle order resources, and Sam Hain provides a promising long term investment for them
Quetta Gladiators - Tim Siefert (wk)
With a back-up local wicketkeeper already secured, Siefert provides more flexibility should one of Quetta’s overseas options such as Roy struggle to perform or for when the team needs to reshuffle their combination when Hasaranga is unavailable.
Islamabad United - Romario Shepherd
Islamabad’s squad doesn’t have much further room for specialists, and Shepherd provides a good utility option.
Peshawar Zalmi - Mujeeb ur Rahman
Zalmi will need an additional spin option should Sufiyan not recover in time for the PSL.
Karachi Kings - Ben McDermott (wk)
Karachi already have an emerging wicketkeeper secured, but McDermott offers an option should they go with a different XI construction, as both a wicketkeeper and top 3 batter.
How the teams stack up
All across the board I tried my best to prioritize good quality players and a good balance to the squads. Having completed this strenuous process, here are how the squads looked. Obviously, there are some unknown factors involved, such as players’ salary requests, but the rule of thumb I followed was that no layer could drop more than one category (Platinum to Diamond, Gold to Silver, etc).
Now onto what the first choice XIs would be based on my drafting:
The notable decisions here would be Shan being appointed captain for Karachi, and Sarfaraz being replaced as captain for Quetta by Rilee Rossouw.
Overall, while I do accept that there are some gaps to the teams that I would like to fill, this exercise had to to be put together pretty late due to how late the official player lists were released by the PCB. Had these been released earlier, I would have taken a bit more time to decide on the depth options per squad. Regardless, this was a fun little preparation for the actual draft. I hope this was an enticing read for the PSL fanatics around, and as always, feel free to drop down any feedback!