
LAHORE, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell became the first pick of the HBL PSL 2025 player draft as the two-time winners Lahore Qalandars roped him in to bolster their batting order at the Hazoori Bagh Lahore Fort.
Left handed batter David Warner was pouched by 2020 HBL PSL champions Karachi Kings as they made use of the second pick in the first Platinum round. Warner, with his wealth of experience including 12,727 T20 runs in 392 T20 matches, will also be among the list of notable debutants this season.
Peshawar Zalmi used the Right to Match option for Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who was picked by Quetta Gladiators. Kohler-Cadmore has represented Zalmi for the last four HBL PSL seasons. Gladiators then picked up New Zealand’s Mark Chapman, who has played 81 T20Is in his 10-year long international career and is a dual international as well.
Michael Bracewell and Matthew Short were the last two picks in the Platinum one round as they were gleaned by Multan Sultans and Islamabad United, respectively. Bracewell, an all-format player for New Zealand has played 149 T20s having scored 2744 runs and taken 66 wickets.
29-year-old Short will add to Islamabad’s explosive batting line-up as they look to add a fourth HBL PSL Trophy to their cabinet later this year.
In the Platinum round two, Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings had two picks each. Gladiators used their Wild Card pick option to snare all-rounder Faheem Ashraf to their squad.
Aggressive Kiwi opening batter Finn Allen was the other player Quetta picked in this round. Allen, 25, has played 47 T20Is for New Zealand and scored 1141 runs with the help of two centuries and at a strike rate of 158.69.
Karachi Kings strengthened their pace arsenal as they went for Adam Milne as their first pick of the Platinum two round and followed it up by using Wild Card on Mohammad Abbas Afridi.