- By Himanshu Badola
- Thu, 12 Feb 2026 06:23 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
PSL 2026 Auction: Steve Smith has become the most expensive player in the history of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The senior Australian batter has joined the Sialkot Stallions as a direct signing for a whopping price of PKR 14 crore (approx. INR 4.5 crore). The upcoming PSL edition will feature a total of eight teams as the tournament has been expanded from six franchises.
This was the first time that PSL introduced the players' auction, ending the draft system that had been in place since the league’s inception. Smith has witnessed an outstanding past few months in the T20 cricket. After putting up an incredible performance in the recent Big Bash League season, Smith was a highly demanded player in the PSL. The inaugural auction under the new format took place in Lahore on Wednesday and attracted high-profile overseas cricketers like David Warner, Adam Zampa, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mustafizur Rahman, Devon Conway, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Mendis and Marnus Labuschagne.
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A total of 103 players were secured by the eight franchises during the PSL auction. Fast bowler Naseem Shah became the costliest Pakistani acquisition, with Islamabad United signing him for PKR 8.65 crore (INR 2.80 crore). The franchise also invested heavily in all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who was bought for PKR 8.5 crore (INR 2.75 crore).
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Babar Azam was retained by Peshawar Zalmi for PKR 7 crore (INR 2.28 crore). However, the biggest retention deal belonged to his teammate Saim Ayub, who was kept on by the same franchise for PKR 12.2 crore (INR 3.95 crore).
The upcoming PSL season is scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3 and will overlap directly with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Talking about Smith, the 36-year-old is heading to the T20 World Cup 2026, as he has been added to the Australian squad as a cover after Mitchell Marsh missed the opening game against Ireland.
No Afghanistan Players In PSL 2026
In an interesting turn of events, Afghanistan players withdrew their names from the first-ever Players' auction held ahead of the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Initially, players like Mujeeb ur Rehman, Seddiqullah Atal, Muhamad Nabi, Waqar Salamkheil, and Fazal Haq Farooqi had registered for the auction held in Lahore on Wednesday.
But they withdrew their names following the backlash over the direct signing of Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz by Peshawar Zalmi. However, Salman Naseer, the CEO of the PSL, said there were some players from Afghanistan who were on the roll but no franchise picked them.
The relationship between the two nations has been fractured since late last year after the Pakistan military carried out aerial attacks in selected areas of Afghanistan on the pretext of targeting militants.