Rishad to Rawalpindi for PKR 3 crore

Rishad Hossain, who lit up the play-offs for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash and contributed to Lahore's title win in the previous PSL, has secured a team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) once again. The new franchise Rawalpindi has signed him for 3 crore Pakistani rupees in the 2026 season.

A bidding war broke out at the historic auction held at the Expo Centre in Karachi for the Bangladeshi leg-spinner. While his former team Lahore Qalandars showed no interest, Karachi Kings and Rawalpindi competed to secure Rishad. Rawalpindi eventually won with a bid of 3 crore rupees.

Earlier, Lahore Qalandars had signed Mustafizur Rahman for 6 crore 44 lakh rupees. However, former world number one all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan remained unsold in the auction. Although his name was called, no franchise showed interest.

For the first time in the 11-year history of the PSL, teams are being formed through an auction system instead of a draft this year. Although the draft had been in place since 2016, the PCB has changed the format this time in light of plans to expand the league. With new teams Sialkot Stallions and Hyderabad Howston Kings joining, a total of eight teams will compete this season.

A total of 879 domestic and international cricketers had registered for the auction. The maximum budget for each team is 1.6 million US dollars. Intense bidding is underway across five categories: Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Emerging.