Young star all-rounder Saim Ayub, has become the most expensive Pakistani player in Pakistan Super League history, surpassing the likes of Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Afridi ahead of the PSL 11 auction.
New PSL franchise, Hyderabad signed the No.1 T20I all-rounder for a whopping Rs. 12.6 crore. Saim Ayub is second only to Australia’s Steve Smith, who was signed by Sialkot Stallionz for Rs. 14 crore.
Saim’s surge is also notable because he is heading into the auction after being released by Peshawar Zalmi who chose to retain Babar in the Platinum category.
Top 6 PSL 11 Signings
Player
Price
Team
Steve Smith
Rs. 14 Crore
Sialkot Stallionz
Saim Ayub
Rs. 12.6 Crore
Hyderabad
Babar Azam
Rs. 7 Crore
Peshawar Zalmi
Shaheen Afridi
Rs. 7 Crore
Lahore Qalandars
Shadab Khan
Rs. 7 Crore
Islamabad United
Abrar Ahmed
Rs. 7 Crore
Quetta Gladiators
The young all-rounder was already on every franchise’s radar as he is currently the No. 1 ranked men’s T20I all-rounder in the latest ICC rankings, which is why Hyderabad paid the big bucks.
Besides, Saim Ayub, Hyderabad have also signed Usman Khan, Akif Javed, and Maaz Sadaqat. Hyderabad have also boosted their overseas options through a direct signing, bringing in Marnus Labuschagne, who is set to join Saim Ayub among the headline names linked with the franchise going into PSL 11.
With PSL 11 shifting fully to an auction format and franchises restricted to four retentions, the upcoming bidding is expected to be intense, and Saim Ayub is already shaping up to be one of the biggest stories of the cycle.
