- Babar, Shaheen, Shadab, Abrar and Hasan retained in Platinum category across five franchises
- Hyderabad, Sialkot Stallionz to make their retentions before 7 February; Multan Sultans retain no players from their previous squad
- First-ever player Auction in HBL PSL history to take place on 11 February as momentum builds towards 11th season
- The official nomenclature of the league is HBL PSL; Media houses are advised to use the correct nomenclature in all texts, headlines and bulletins
Lahore, 4 February 2026: Six franchises including defending champions Lahore Qalandars have unveiled their retentions for the HBL PSL season 11, while Multan Sultans have not retained any players from their previous squad, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed on Wednesday.
All franchises except Islamabad United have retained four players each. United have kept hold of three players. The two new franchises Sialkot Stallionz and Hyderabad are set to announce their retentions by Saturday, 7 February.
The only captain to win HBL PSL three times, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been retained in Platinum category, while Abdullah Shafique has been retained in Diamond category by Lahore Qalandars.
Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza will also stay with Qalandars in Gold category. Emerging player of the HBL PSL X Mohammad Naeem has been retained by the reigning champions in Silver category.
Quetta Gladiators have retained mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed in Platinum category, Usman Tariq in Diamond, HBL PSL X player of the tournament Hasan Nawaz in Gold and left-handed batter Shamyl Hussain in emerging category.
Babar Azam, the leading run-getter of the HBL PSL history and one of the only two players to feature in 100 HBL PSL games, has been retained by 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi. They have also kept left-arm wrist-spinner Sufyan Moqim in Diamond, Abdul Samad in Gold and pacer Ali Raza in Emerging category.
Shadab Khan’s nine-year long journey with Islamabad United will reach the decade-mark as he has been retained by the three-time HBL PSL champions in Platinum category.
Fast bowler Salman Irshad in Gold and USA wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous in Silver categories are the other two retentions by Islamabad United.
Hasan Ali – the leading wicket-taker in HBL PSL history – will continue to star for Karachi Kings as he has been retained in Platinum category. Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah and Saad Baig have been retained in Diamond, Gold and Emerging, respectively by the 2020 champions.
Full retentions:
Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Shah Afridi (Platinum), Abdullah Shafique (Diamond), Sikandar Raza (Gold) and Mohammad Naeem (Silver)
Quetta Gladiators: Abrar Ahmed (Platinum), Usman Tariq (Diamond), Hasan Nawaz (Gold) and Shamyl Hussain (Emerging)
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (Platinum), Salman Irshad (Gold) and Andries Gous (Silver)
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (platinum), Sufyan Moqim (Diamond), Abdul Samad (Gold) and Ali Raza (Emerging)
Karachi Kings: Hasan Ali (platinum), Mohammad Abbas Afridi (Diamond), Khushdil Shah (Gold) and Saad Baig (Emerging)
Multan Sultans: Zero retentions
