Sarfaraz Ahmed among notable unpicked players in PSL 10 draft

The player draft for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, held in Lahore on January 13, saw several notable players go unpicked, including former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and experienced New Zealand pacer Tim Southee.

Among the notable absentees, this season were England’s dynamic top-order batters Jason Roy and Alex Hales.

Roy is known for his explosive batting style and is the holder of the record for the highest individual score in PSL history. His absence stands out, particularly given his previous stint with the Quetta Gladiators.

Meanwhile, Hales has made his mark while playing for Islamabad United in the previous editions of the PSL.

Despite their impressive credentials and past contributions to their respective teams, both players found themselves without any interest from franchise teams this season.

Additionally, Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan also went unpicked, primarily due to his bowling ban.

Shakib was recently banned from bowling in competitions governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after an independent reassessment raised concerns over the legality of his bowling action.

While he remained eligible to participate as a specialist batter, no franchise showed interest in picking him.

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Moreover, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had been associated with the former champions Quetta Gladiators since the league’s inception, was released by the franchise earlier this month.

Despite speculations that the Gladiators would select the wicketkeeper-batter in the player draft, the 37-year-old officially parted ways with the 2019 champions on Sunday.

Unfortunately, Sarfaraz was overlooked by the other five teams and thus went unselected in the draft.

Tim Southee, who was categorized in the platinum category and was considered one of the biggest names to register for the PSL 10 Player Draft, also went unpicked, as none of the six franchises showed interest in the veteran pacer.

Another notable player who remained unselected was Pakistan’s emerging right-arm pacer Ihsanullah. He gained recognition for his impressive performance during the previous season, where he claimed 22 wickets for the Multan Sultans.

Ihsanullah, who has represented Pakistan in one ODI and four T20Is, sustained an elbow injury following the ODI series against New Zealand in April 2023.

He underwent surgery that same year and focused on rehabilitation, staying away from competitive cricket.

Ihsanullah recently returned to action during the Champions T20 Cup in December 2024, where he took two wickets in four matches, although his pace appeared to be noticeably reduced.

Notable unpicked players in the PSL 10 Player Draft

Sarfaraz Ahmed, Tim Southee, Ihsanullah, Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ashton Agar, Chris Lynn, Cooper Connolly, Daniel Sams, Jason Behrendroff, Mark Steketee, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, William Sutherland, Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills, Jimmy Neesham, Imran Tahir, Reeza Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi, Charith Asalanka, Evin Lewis.

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