Highest paid cricketers of PSL 2023 including Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan

Tournament begins on February 13 and concludes on March 19

Lahore Qalandars’ captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and teammates celebrate winning the PSL 2022 title after defeating Multan Sultans in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 27, 2022. AFP

It is the season of T20 leagues and the next big franchise bandwagon gearing up to enthral fans is the Pakistan Super League.

January saw the start of two high-profile tournaments – the International League T20 and the South Africa T20 tournament called the SA20. The Big Bash League in Australia is also ongoing, as is the Bangladesh Premier League. In short, there is franchise cricket happening everywhere.

Next month, it’s the turn of Pakistan to turn on their T20 charm. Their hugely successful PSL returns on February 13, with 2022 finalists Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans clashing in the opener in Multan.

Last year, Lahore defeated Multan by 42 runs at home to lift the PSL title, marking the rise of fast bowler and team captain Shaheen Afridi as the premier cricketer in the country.

This year, some of the top names in franchise cricket will once again travel to Pakistan to fight for the top prize.

The top players in the PSL get picked through a draft, which means there is a cap on how much they can earn. The Platinum category is the top tier where players can earn up to $170,000 with a base price of $130,000.

Highest paid cricketers at PSL 2023

Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi): up to $170,000*

Shaheen Afridi (Lahore Qalandars): $170,000

Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans): $170,000

Shadab Khan (Islamabad United): $170,000

Sam Billings (Lahore Qalandars): $170,000

Tymal Mills (Islamabad United): $170,000

Haider Ali (Karachi Kings): $170,000

Matthew Wade (Karachi Kings): $170,000

Imran Tahir (Karachi Kings): $170,000

Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars): $170,000

Izharulhaq Naveed (Multan Sultans): $170,000

Gus Atkinson (Islamabad United): $170,000

Josh Little (Multan Sultans): $170,000

Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Peshawar Zalmi): $170,000

Richard Gleeson (Peshawar Zalmi): $170,000

Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators): $170,000

Naseem Shah (Quetta Gladiators): $170,000

*All platinum category players receive a salary within the range of $130,000 to $170,000.

Note: Platinum category players like Wanindu Hasaranga, Rovman Powell, David Miller, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rashid Khan are only partially available for the tournament and will be paid on pro rata basis.

Tournament dates

The 2023 PSL begins on February 13 and the final will be held on March 19, with a total of 34 matches to be played.

Venues

Matches will be played in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan.

PSL 2022 Team of the Tournament

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  1. Mohammed Rizwan (Multan Sultans, 546 runs, 68.25 average, 126.68 strike rate) Is there any more captivating cricketer at present? Perhaps only Shaheen Shah Afridi. AFP

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  2. Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars, 588 runs, 45.23 average, 152.72 strike rate) Leading runscorer, with eight scores over 50 in 13 innings. AFP

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  3. Shoaib Malik (Peshawar Zalmi, 401 runs, 44.55 average, 137.32 strike rate) Time has no effect on the Peshawar batter. Commendably consistent. EPA

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  4. Shadab Khan (Islamabad United, 268 runs, 33.5 average, 162.42 strike rate; 19 wickets, 6.42 economy rate) A fine leader, scored runs, and only Shaheen Afridi took more wickets. AFP

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  5. Rilee Rossouw (Multan Sultans, 275 runs, 167.68 strike rate) Multan’s excellence was powered by the middle-order engine room of Rossouw and Tim David. AFP

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  6. Tim David (Multan Sultans, 278 runs, 194.40 strike rate) The Singapore player hit the most sixes in the competition – one every 6.8 deliveries on average. AFP

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  7. Khushdil Shah (Multan Sultans, 153 runs, 182.14 strike rate; 16 wicket, 6.89 economy rate) Played his role perfectly for the league’s most consistent side. AFP

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  8. Rashid Khan (Lahore Qalandars, 13 wickets, 6.25 economy rate) A guard of honour when he left, and Qalandars attempted to fly him back from national duty for the final, too. AFP

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  9. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars, 20 wickets, 7.57 economy rate) World cricket’s golden boy became a PSL winning skipper aged just 21 – a record for leading franchise events. AFP

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  10. Zaman Khan (Lahore Qalandars, 18 wickets, 8.26 economy rate) Only Shaheen and Shadab took more wickets than the 20-year old, and he sent down two maidens, too. AFP

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  11. Naseem Shah (Quetta Gladiators, 14 wickets, 8.01 economy rate) Remarkable to think this tournament marked a comeback of sorts. He did only turn 19 during it. AFP

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  12th man. Shan Masood (Multan Sultans, 478 runs, 39.83 average, 138.15 strike rate) Dovetails so well with Rizwan – the player who replaced him as Multan captain. AFP