Cricket
When Will the 2025 Pakistan Super League Start?
All eyes are on Pakistan currently, with the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy bringing international cricket to the forefront. The hype around one of the first major tournaments in many years could also boost the country’s domestic cricket scene. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to resume later than its usual window of February to March, due to the Champions Trophy.
Islamabad United's captain Shadab Khan //Getty Images
While this has also resulted in a clash with the 2025 Indian Premier League, the men’s T20 will nevertheless be a thrilling event.
SportsBoom looks at the tentative dates for the 2025 Pakistan Super League and what information we have at this stage.
Pakistan Super League: Tentative Dates for T20 Competition
The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that the 2025 PSL will take place from April 10 to May 25, with 34 matches to be played.
At this stage, the group stage games have not been confirmed although some have speculated that the final will take place around May 19.
This is also the last six-team season of the Pakistan Super League, with the tournament set to increase to eight sides from 2026.
The 10th edition of the PSL will see Shadab Khan and Islamabad United defending against Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.
The host venues are as follows: Lahore - Gaddafi Stadium, Multan - Multan Cricket Stadium, Karachi - National Stadium, Peshawar - Arbab Niaz Stadium, Rawalpindi - Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Quetta - Bugti Stadium.
Confirmed Squads for the 2025 Pakistan Super League
The official PSL draft took place on January 13, with each franchise allowed to retain eight players from the previous season.
Teams were also given the opportunity to select new stars from the platinum, diamond, gold and silver categories respectively.
Note that players marked as ‘Wild Card’ had their category changed by their franchise, while players marked as ‘Right to Match’ were selected for a new team and then brought back by their original team using the RTM card.
Islamabad United
| Player | Category | Drafted/retained | Role |
| Shadab Khan | Platinum | Retained | All-rounder + captain |
| Naseem Shah | Platinum | Retained | Bowler |
| Imad Wasim | Diamond | Retained | Mentor |
| Azam Khan | Diamond | Retained | Wicket-keeper |
| Salman Ali Agha | Gold | Retained | All-rounder |
| Haider Ali | Gold | Retained | Batsman |
| Colin Munro | Silver | Retained | All-rounder |
| Rumman Raees | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| Matthew Short | Platinum | Drafted | Batsman |
| Jason Holder | Diamond | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Ben Dwarshuis | Gold | Drafted | Bowler |
| Salman Irshad | Silver | Drafted | Bowler |
| Mohammed Nawaz | Silver | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Andries Gous | Silver | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Saad Masood | Emerging | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Hunain Shah | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Riley Meredith | Supplementary | Drafted | Bowler |
| Rassie van der Dussen | Supplementary | Drafted | Batsman |
Karachi Kings
| Player | Category | Drafted/retained | Role |
| Hasan Ali | Diamond | Retained | Bowler |
| James Vince | Diamond | Retained | Batsman |
| Irfan Khan Niazi | Gold | Retained | Batsman |
| Shan Masood | Gold | Retained | Batsman + captain |
| Arafat Minhas | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| Tim Seifert | Silver | Retained | Wicket-keeper |
| Zahid Mehmood | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| David Warner | Platinum | Drafted | Batsman |
| Adam Milne | Platinum | Drafted | Bowler |
| Abbas Afridi | Wild Card | Drafted | Bowler |
| Khushdil Shah | Diamond | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Aamir Jamal | Gold | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Mir Hamza | Silver | Drafted | Bowler |
| Litton Das | Silver | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Muhammad Riazullah | Emerging | Drafted | Batsman |
| Fawad Ali | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Kane Williamson | Supplementary | Drafted | Batsman |
| Mohammad Nabi | Supplementary | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Omair Yousuf | Supplementary | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Mirza Mamoon | Supplementary | Drafted | Bowler |
David Warner is the most expensive player of the 10th edition of the PSL, having been signed by Karachi Kings for $300,000 during the draft.
Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars's Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates the wicket of Peshawar Zalmi's Babar Azam//Getty Images
| Player | Category | Drafted/retained | Role |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Platinum | Retained | Bowler + captain |
| Fakhar Zaman | Platinum | Retained | Batsman |
| Haris Rauf | Diamond | Retained | Bowler |
| Sikandar Raza | Diamond | Retained | All-rounder |
| Abdullah Shafique | Gold | Retained | Batsman |
| Zaman Khan | Gold | Retained | Bowler |
| Jahandad Khan | Gold | Retained | All-rounder |
| David Wiese | Silver | Retained | All-rounder |
| Daryl Mitchell | Platinum | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Kusal Perera | Diamond | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Asif Afridi | Silver | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Asif Ali | Silver | Drafted | Batsman |
| Rishad Hossain | Silver | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Muhammad Akhlaq | Silver | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Momin Qamar | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Mohammad Azab | Emerging | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Muhammad Naeem | Supplementary | Drafted | Batsman |
| Tom Curran | Supplementary | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Sam Billings | Supplementary | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Salman Mirza | Supplementary | Drafted | Bowler |
Multan Sultans
| Player | Category | Drafted/retained | Role |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Platinum | Retained | Wicket-keeper + captain |
| Usama Mir | Platinum | Retained | Bowler |
| David Willey | Diamond | Retained | All-rounder |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | Diamond | Retained | All-rounder |
| Usman Khan | Diamond | Retained | Batsman |
| Chris Jordan | Gold | Retained | Bowler |
| Faisal Akram | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| Michael Bracewell | Platinum | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Mohammad Hasnain | Gold | Drafted | Bowler |
| Kamran Ghulam | Gold | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Akif Javed | Silver | Drafted | Bowler |
| Tayyab Tahir | Right to Match | Drafted | Batsman |
| Gudakesh Motie | Silver | Drafted | Bowler |
| Josh Little | Silver | Drafted | Bowler |
| Shahid Aziz | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Ubaid Shah | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Johnson Charles | Supplementary | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Shai Hope | Supplementary | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Yasir Khan | Supplementary | Drafted | Batsman |
| Muhammad Amir Barki | Supplementary | Drafted | Batsman |
Peshawar Zalmi
| Player | Category | Drafted/retained | Role |
| Babar Azam | Platinum | Retained | Batsman + captain |
| Saim Ayub | Platinum | Retained | Batsman |
| Mohammad Haris | Diamond | Retained | Batsman |
| Arif Yaqoob | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| Mehran Mumtaz | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| Sufyan Moqim | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| Ali Raza | Emerging | Retained | Bowler |
| Tom Kohler-Cadmore | Right to Match | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Corbin Bosch | Diamond | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Mohammad Ali | Diamond | Drafted | Bowler |
| Abdul Samad | Wild Card | Drafted | Batsman |
| Nahid Rana | Gold | Drafted | Bowler |
| Hussain Talat | Gold | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Max Bryant | Silver | Drafted | Batsman |
| Najibullah Zadran | Silver | Drafted | Batsman |
| Maaz Sadaqat | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Alzarri Joseph | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Ahmed Daniyal | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
Quetta Gladiators
CRICKET-PAK-PSL-MULTAN-QUETTA// GETTY IMAGES
| Player | Category | Drafted/retained | Role |
| Abrar Ahmed | Diamond | Retained | Bowler |
| Mohammad Amir | Diamond | Retained | Bowler |
| Rilee Roussouw | Diamond | Retained | Batsman + captain |
| Akeal Hosein | Gold | Retained | Bowler |
| Mohammad Wasim | Gold | Retained | All-rounder |
| Saud Shakeel | Gold | Retained | Batsman |
| Khawaja Muhammad Nafay | Silver | Retained | Batsman |
| Usman Tariq | Silver | Retained | Bowler |
| Mark Chapman | Platinum | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Faheem Ashraf | Wild Card | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Finn Allen | Platinum | Drafted | Batsman |
| Khurram Shahzad | Silver | Drafted | Bowler |
| Haseebullah Khan | Silver | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Kyle Jamieson | Silver | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Hasan Nawaz | Emerging | Drafted | Batsman |
| Mohammad Zeeshan | Emerging | Drafted | Bowler |
| Kusal Mendis | Supplementary | Drafted | Wicket-keeper |
| Sean Abbott | Supplementary | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Shoaib Malik | Supplementary | Drafted | All-rounder |
| Danish Aziz | Supplementary | Drafted | All-rounder |
Why Did the PSL Change Dates in 2025?
The Pakistan Cricket Board chose the window of April 7 to May 20 for the PSL due to the 2025 Champions Trophy being hosted from February to March.
The cricket body met with franchise owners and agreed on moving the domestic tournament, despite the clash with the 2025 Indian Premier League.
Chief Operating Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Salman Naseer also stated that four of the PSL’s playoffs could be staged at a neutral venue.
Could Islamabad United extend their record as champions and once again score the most runs in PSL or is Peshawar Zalmi the new team to watch?
As excitement builds on the international cricket front, Pakistan will be aiming to channel that global attention into its premier domestic competitions.
References
- 1
2025 Pakistan Super League: Wikipedia, 2025 Pakistan Super League, psl-t20.com: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pakistan_Super_League# Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 2
PSL 2025 Schedule & Squads: ipl.com, Pakistan Super League Fixture and Team Details: https://www.ipl.com/cricket/news/psl-2025-schedule-amp-squads-pakistan-super-league-fixture-and-team-details/ Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 3
PSL 2025 window unveiled: ARY News, PCB announces window for PSL 2025: https://arynews.tv/its-official-pcb-announces-window-for-psl-2025/amp/ Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 4
PSL to become an eight-team tournament from 2026: ESPN cricinfo, PCB confirms PSL expansion from 2026 with two new teams: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/psl-to-become-an-eight-team-tournament-from-2026-1434186 Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 5
PSL player retentions: Geosuper.tv, Player retentions announced for PSL's 10th edition: https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/41286-player-retentions-announced-for-psls-10th-edition Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 6
PSL 2025 Draft: Wisden, PSL 2025 draft: Full list of players picked in the Pakistan Super League draft: https://www.wisden.com/series/hbl-pakistan-super-league/cricket-news/psl-2025-draft-full-list-of-players-picked-in-the-pakistan-super-league-draft Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 7
2025 PSL draft: Wikipedia, 2025 Pakistan Super League players draft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pakistan_Super_League_players_draft Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 8
PSL 10 player draft: A Sports, Teams complete squads as PSL 10 Player Draft concludes: https://a-sports.tv/psl-10-players-draft-live-updates-january-13-2025/ Accessed Feb 24, 2025
- 9
PSL schedule to clash with IPL: NDtv, Schedule Of PSL 2025 To Clash With IPL's. Here's The Reason Behind PCB's Move: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/schedule-of-psl-2025-to-clash-with-ipls-heres-the-reason-behind-pcbs-move-5589535/amp/1 Accessed Feb 24, 2025
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Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.