Islamabad United COO claimed that players who were picked in PSL in former seasons were sold for a whopping amount of money in the IPL 2026 mini-auction. He hinted towards the talent pool of the PSL and hyped their unique scouting.
The Pakistan Super League and the Indian Premier League windows have clashed over the past two seasons. The PSL and IPL schedules would clash once again in 2026, and players would have to choose just one of the two leagues.
Several players have switched back from the PSL to the IPL when they were offered big-money contracts and an opportunity to feature in one of the most prestigious leagues in global T20 cricket. However, some have also switched to PSL.
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Islamabad United COO on the IPL vs PSL
PSL includes several new franchises that will be part of the upcoming edition of the competition. The Islamabad United operating officer went on to claim that PSL are actually picking very promising players, which is the reason IPL are picking their players who they once rejected.
“Last year, the players who performed in the PSL were the same ones people claimed weren’t good enough; that’s why they came to the PSL. But then why did IPL pick all of them this year?” he questioned.
He further continued, “Even now, if we say quality players aren’t coming here, the very players we questioned last season have been sold for up to 20 crores in the IPL this year. That clearly shows PSL’s foreign talent identification is top-notch.”
However, no player in the PSL was bought for such a whopping amount of money. The costliest of the lot was Jason Holder, the all-rounder who featured in the PSL last season and would return to the IPL for the Gujarat Titans in 2026.
Former PSL Stars who joined IPL 2026
The PSL featured many stars in the previous editions, which included global stars who had either formerly played in the IPL or might be playing for IPL franchises in the future. Though he claimed that PSL scouts picked good players and IPL bought them later, it seems lame since all the players who were picked in the mini-auction had formerly featured for IPL franchises.
Jason Holder, who played in PSL the last time, was picked by Ashish Nehra’s Gujarat Titans for INR 7 crores, which went on to be one of the greatest picks of the auction. Holder then played for the West Indies in the ICC T20 World Cup and showed some remarkable batting form.
Blessing Muzarabani was picked as the replacement player in the KKR camp in 2026. The Zimbabwean, who was formerly part of the PSL, is likely to make his IPL debut this time. He was picked after his commendable show in the T20 World Cup.
Former IPL stars who now feature for PSL franchises
The likes of the former IPL stars who featured in the Indian league would now be part of the PSL in this upcoming edition. While the likes of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith went on to feature in the PSL drafts, du Plessis later withdrew from the competition.
Steve Smith was one of the costliest players of the PSL auction, and on the other hand, Maxwell would also feature for one of the new franchises. Devon Conway, the former CSK star, went unsold in the auction in IPL and will play in the PSL in the upcoming edition as well.
The likes of Daryl Mitchell was among the big money draws in the IPL, who went on to change tracks to
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