The player draft for the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League was held at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 21–22 December 2015.[1] A total of 308 players and 30 coaches, including Pakistani and Foreigners were divided into 5 different categories Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging.[2] Each franchise had a salary-spending cap of $1.2 million, including the signing of players, coaches and support staff. There were five icon players and each team was allowed to pick one icon and six foreigners in a 20-man squad (16 active and 4 supplementary).[3]
Following is the list of players picked by different teams.
Shahid Afridi was the first player to be picked in draft.[4] Shane Watson was the first foreign player to be picked in draft.[5] [6] Players were paid according to their categories:
Icon - $200,000, Platinum - $140,000, Diamond - $70,000, Gold - $50,000, Silver - $25,000, Emerging - $10,000
| Category | Islamabad United | Karachi Kings | Lahore Qalandars | Peshawar Zalmi | Quetta Gladiators | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | ||||||
| Platinum | ||||||
| Diamond | ||||||
| Gold | ||||||
| Silver | ||||||
| Emerging | ||||||
| Supplementary |
These Players were signed by franchises after the draft.
| Dwayne Smith | IU | Platinum | |
| Nathan McCullum | QG | Platinum | |
| Ryan ten Doeschate | KK | Diamond | |
| Ajantha Mendis | LQ | Diamond | |
| Shaun Tait | PZ | Diamond | |
| Grant Elliott | QG | Diamond | |
| Azhar Mahmood | IU | Diamond | |
| Owais Shah | KK | Gold | |
| Riki Wessels | KK | Silver | |
| Jonny Bairstow | PZ | Silver |