Pakistan Super League is a professional T20 cricket league founded and organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Unlike in the IPL, players in PSL are signed by different teams in a player draft. However, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja announced that a player auction will replace the draft for the 2023 edition. For the 2022 PSL edition, players were divided into five categories. The five categories were Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Emerging. IPL and PSL are often compared; although IPL is a cash-rich league, few Pakistani players also get a good salary to play PSL. Let’s have a look at the top 10 highest paid Pakistani players in the Pakistan Super League.
1. Babar Azam
Babar Azam is captain of the Pakistan cricket team and Karachi Kings in the PSL. Babar is the number one T20i and ODI batsman according to the ICC rankings and is considered one of the finest batsmen of this generation across all formats. Babar was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and received 2.89CR PKR.
2. Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi is a Pakistani left-arm bowler who leads Lahore Qalandars in the PSL. Shaheen Afridi won the ICC player of the year award for 2021. Afridi is often regarded as one of the best current fast bowlers. Shaheen was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and bagged 2.89CR PKR.
3. Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan is a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman and the captain of Multan Sultans in the PSL. Rizwan was named T20I cricketer of the year by the International Cricket Council for 2021. Rizwan was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and got 2.89CR PKR.
4. Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman is a right-handed Pakistani batsman who plays for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL. Fakhar Zaman is the first Pakistani player to score a double century in ODI. Fakhar was the man of the match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final against India. Zaman was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and bagged 2.89CR PKR.
5. Asif Ali
Asif Ali is a right-handed middle-order batsman who plays for Islamabad United in the PSL. Asif was included in Pakistan’s squad for the ICC men's T20 World Cup 2021. Ali scored some crucial runs for Pakistan in the tournament and was named player of the month by the ICC for November 2021. Asif Ali was also in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and received 2.89CR PKR.
6. Hasan Ali
Hasan Ali is a right-arm Pakistani fast bowler who plays for Islamabad United in the PSL. Hasan Ali won the player of the tournament award in the ICC champions trophy 2017. Ali is the fastest Pakistani bowler to take 50 ODI wickets. Hasan Ali was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and bagged 2.89CR PKR.
7. Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman who plays for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL and is a former captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team. Pakistan won the ICC champions trophy in 2017 under Sarfaraz's captaincy. Sarfaraz Ahmed was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and received 2.21CR PKR.
8. Imad Wasim
Imad Wasim is a left-handed Pakistani all-rounder who plays for Karachi Kings in the PSL. Imad is a T20 specialist who has played in multiple T20 leagues worldwide, including PSL, BBL, LPL, CPL, and BPL. He also captained Karachi Kings for three seasons. Imad was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and bagged 2.21CR PKR.
9. Wahab Riaz
Wahab Riaz is a left-arm Pakistani fast bowler who plays for Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL. Riaz is one of the fastest Pakistani bowlers, who usually bowls at a speed of around 90 mph. During the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Wahab Riaz became the second highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in world cup history. Riaz was in the platinum category in the 2022 PSL player draft and bagged 2.21CR PKR.
10. Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani all-rounder who plays for Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL. Shoaib was captain of the Pakistan cricket team from 2007-2009. Malik is the first Pakistani cricketer to score 10,000 runs in T20 cricket. Shoaib was in the diamond category in the 2022 PSL player draft and got 1.36 CR PKR.
