Islamabad United’s COO claimed that players who were selected in the PSL last season were sold for huge sums in the IPL 2026 mini-auction. He pointed to the PSL’s talent pool and praised their peerless scouting.
The Pakistan Super League and Indian Premier League windows have clashed in the last two seasons. The schedules of PSL and IPL will clash once again in 2026 and players will have to choose just one between the two leagues.
Many players moved back from the PSL to the IPL when they were offered big-money contracts and the opportunity to join the most prestigious league in global T20 cricket. However, some have also switched to PSL.
Islamabad United COO on IPL vs PSL
The PSL includes several new franchises that will be part of the upcoming edition of the competition. Islamabad United’s operations officer claimed that the PSL is actually picking very promising players, which is why the IPL is picking its players whom it once rejected.
“Last year, the players who performed in the PSL were the same ones who people claimed were no good; that’s why they came to the PSL. But then why did the IPL pick all of them this year?” He asked question.
He further added, “Even now, if we say that quality players are not coming here, the players we inquired about last season have been sold for up to Rs 20 crore in the IPL this year. This clearly shows that the PSL’s identification of foreign talent is top-notch.”
However, no player in the PSL was bought for such a huge sum. The most expensive was Jason Holder, the all-rounder who featured in the PSL last season and will return to the IPL in 2026 for Gujarat Titans.
Former PSL stars who joined IPL 2026
The PSL has featured many stars in previous editions, including global stars who have either played in the IPL before or could play for IPL franchises in the future. Although he claimed that PSL scouts picked good players and the IPL bought them later, this seems wrong as all the players selected in the mini-auction had previously played for IPL franchises.
Jason Holder, who last played in the PSL, was picked by Ashish Nehra’s Gujarat Titans for Rs 7 crore, which became one of the biggest picks of the auction. After this, Holder played for West Indies in the ICC T20 World Cup and displayed excellent batting.
Blessing Muzarabani was selected as a replacement player in the KKR camp in 2026. Zimbabwe, who were previously a part of the PSL, are likely to make their IPL debut this time. He was selected after his commendable performance in the T20 World Cup.
Former IPL stars who now work for PSL franchises
Former IPL stars who played in the Indian league will now be a part of the PSL in this upcoming edition. While players like Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith were included in the PSL draft, du Plessis later withdrew from the competition.
Steve Smith was one of the most expensive players of the PSL auction, and Maxwell, on the other hand, will also feature for one of the new franchises. Former CSK star Devon Conway was not sold in the IPL auction and will also play in the PSL in the upcoming edition.
Players like Daryl Mitchell were among the big earners in IPL, who later changed track.
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