The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League has set a record of its kind even before the start as for the first time, the franchises made important decisions under the auction model and Australian star Steve Smith emerged as the most expensive player in the league.
According to media reports, the new franchise Sialkot Stallions has added former Australian captain Steve Smith to its team through direct signing. The franchise announced the deal through social media, with which it was confirmed that Steve Smith will be seen playing in the Pakistan Super League for the first time. According to reports, Sialkot Stallions signed Smith for Rs 140 million for this deal, after which he became the most expensive player in the history of PSL and a new milestone has been set in the financial history of the league.
Meanwhile, the compensation of the players retained for PSL 11 has also been announced. Peshawar Zalmi has retained Babar Azam, Lahore Qalandars has retained Shaheen Shah Afridi and Islamabad United has retained Shadab Khan for Rs 70 million each.
A major change has also been made in the PSL player selection system this season. Instead of the traditional draft, an auction model has now been introduced, under which franchises can retain only one player from each category, while the rest of the squad will be completed through auction.
Read also: PSL 11: see how much top players are earning
