The announcement means 10 players in A+ category will now receive a monthly retainer of PKR250,000 each, followed by PKR185,000 each for the 40 cricketers in Category A, PKR175,000 each for 40 players in Category B, PKR165,000 each for the 64 players in Category C and PKR140,000 each for the 37 players in category D.

Under the event rules, five sides have consumed retention of eight players except Peshawar Zalmi which retained five players.

Defending champions Karachi Kings have retained Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Islamabad United have kept Pakistan’s white-ball vice-captain Shadab Khan as the two sides also completed a successful trade of Englishman Alex Hales and Colin Ingram of South Africa ahead of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2021 Player Draft, which will take place at the High Performance Centre on Sunday

Squads available below; 33-match tournament to be played from 8-31 January at three Karachi venues

Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi to battle for the glittering HBL PSL 2020 trophy and USD500,000 winner’s prize

21 foreign stars include one each from Australia and New Zealand, two from Bangladesh, six from England, seven from South Africa, and four from the West Indies

As per Covid-19 protocols for the 2019-20 season, respected members of the media can only attend and cover matches at the National Stadium. Detailed 15 September media advisory to this effect is available here, while key media guidelines are reproduced below

481 fours, 180 sixes hit in action-packed 14-match Multan-leg

The three struggling sides in the First XI National T20 Cup – Balochistan, Central Punjab and Southern Punjab – have revisited their team combinations for the second round action, which begins at the Pindi Cricket Stadium from Friday, 9 October

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab are two formidable sides with the potential to win the National T20 Cup First XI tournament, which begins on Wednesday at the Multan Cricket Stadium, with quality players at their disposal