KARACHI: Pakistan Super League (PSL) debutants Hyderabad on Friday confirmed their signing ahead of the 11th edition of the tournament scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3.
Ahead of the much-anticipated player auction on February 11, the franchise has secured four key players, with Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Mas Sadaq and Akif Javed announced as part of their squad.
According to PSL, Hyderabad snapped up Ayub for Rs 126 million in Platinum category, followed by Usman in Diamond for Rs 46.2 million, Mas and Akif in Emerging and Gold categories for Rs 35 million and Rs 19.6 million respectively.
Earlier today, the franchise announced Australia’s established batsman Marnus Lapuchon as their direct signing.
An announcement was shared on Kingsmen Cricket’s social media platforms, a day ahead of the official unveiling of the Hyderabad team name and logo at the star-studded ceremony to be held at the Nias Stadium on February 7 at 6:00 PM.
For the uninitiated, the franchise has strengthened its coaching staff by bringing in top international names ahead of the historic edition.
Former Pakistan red ball coach and Australian all-rounder Jason Gillespie will be the head coach, with Grant Bradburn as fielding coach, Craig White as assistant coach, Hanif Malik as batting coach and Jack Martin in charge of strength and conditioning.
The 11th edition of the PSL will see a historic change as the traditional player draft will be replaced by a player auction, while the league will expand to eight teams for the first time.
Hyderabad and Sialkot join the competition as new owners, with Hyderabad, owned by Fawad Sarwar, securing the team with a successful bid of PKR 1.75 billion ($6.25 million).
This expansion marks a significant milestone in PSL history, following the entry of Multan Sultans in Season 3, which increased the number of teams from five to six.
With the addition of Hyderabad and Sialkot, the league will now feature eight competing teams.
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