Usman Khan was placed in the Diamond category even though four franchises voted for him to be in the Platinum category.
The franchises choose the local player categories in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and each team is allowed to have a say in the choice of five players. Nonetheless, the national selection committee has the last say in any disputes. Together with veteran umpire Aleem Dar, former Test stars Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq made the final choices this year. This has sparked substantial debate, particularly in regard to the choices made for specific players.
Usman Khan of the Multan Sultans, who finished second on the list of leading run scorers in the last PSL season with 430 runs at an average of 107.50, only behind Babar Azam, is at the center of one of the most contentious choices. During the same season, Usman also scored two hundreds and an equal number of fifties. He continued to play regular T20 cricket and was still a member of the Pakistani team after his outstanding performance. Usman was put in the Diamond category even though four franchises voted for him to be in the Platinum category.
Abdullah Shafique of the Lahore Qalandars, who hasn’t participated in any T20 games since the previous PSL, was unexpectedly promoted from Gold to Diamond. Hasan Ali of Karachi Kings, meanwhile, was promoted from Diamond to Platinum since the team lacked a player in the Platinum category.
Despite not playing for their country, retired cricket players Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim have also been included to the top tier. Because Karachi Kings didn’t have a player in the Platinum category, Hasan Ali was added to the list.
The PSL players’ draft is set for January 11 in Gwadar, and the relegation and retention announcements will be made at the end of this month.
