PSL Auction me Paison ki Barsaat: Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf ne looti mehfil, but is it enough to beat the IPL Hype?
Aakhirkar hamare padosi mulk ne bhi auction ki duniya me kadam rakh hi diya. Ab tak draft ke bharose chalne wali
PSL
ne apna pehla auction organize kiya aur jaisa ki expected tha, shor zyada aur kaam ki baatein thodi kam nazar aayi. While the world looks at the
IPL
for life-changing numbers, the
PCB
tried its best to create some buzz with their record-breaking bids. 8 ghante tak chale is marathon auction me kuch purane chehre ameer hue toh kuch bade naam saste me nipat gaye.
The Inner Story: Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf become the Golden Boys
Auction ka asli tamasha tab shuru hua jab
Naseem Shah
ka naam table par aaya. Islamabad United se nikal kar woh ab
Rawalpindi
ki nayi team ka hissa ban gaye hain. Inke liye
Rawalpindi
ne PKR 86.5 million kharch kar diye. Sunne me toh yeh number kisi space mission ke budget jaisa lagta hai, par jab aap ise convert karenge toh asliyat thodi alag dikhegi. Khair, performance ki baat karein toh Naseem bhai pitch se zyada injury list me dikhte hain, par auction me unka jalwa barkarar raha.
Wahi dusri taraf,
Faheem Ashraf
ki ghar wapasi hui hai.
Islamabad United
ne unhe PKR 85 million me wapas khareeda. It seems
Pakistan
cricket me loyalty se zyada purane rishton ki keemat lagayi ja rahi hai. Foreign stars ki baat karein toh
David Warner
ab
Karachi Kings
ki kamaan sambhalenge, jinke liye franchise ne PKR 79 million bahaye hain.
Lahore Qalandars
ne bhi apne pace battery
Haris Rauf
ko PKR 76 million me retain karke dikha diya ki unhe speed se kitna pyaar hai, bhale hi woh speed kabhi-kabhi boundary ke bahar hi kyu na ja rahi ho.
Analysis & Numbers: Who gained and who felt the burn?
Naseem Shah
emerged as the costliest player with PKR 86.5 million for the new
Rawalpindi
franchise.
Daryl Mitchell
sparked a massive bidding war, eventually going to
Rawalpindi
for PKR 80.5 million.
Fakhar Zaman
remains the backbone for
Lahore Qalandars
with a massive PKR 79.5 million price tag.
Mark Chapman
was secured by
Islamabad United
for PKR 70 million after a fierce fight with other teams.
Shock of the Auction:
Shahnawaz Dahani
, once the poster boy of the league, found no takers and went unsold.
The 41-year-old veteran
Peter Siddle
proved that age is just a number in cricket as
Sialkot Stallionz
picked him for PKR 25 million.
Auction me ek aur dilchasp mod tab aaya jab
Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen
ne apni brand image par focus kiya. Unhone
Hammad Azam
aur
Shayan Jahangir
jaise players ko uthaya jo ab USA ke liye khelte hain. Yeh strategy saaf dikhati hai ki woh Pakistan-American market ko capture karna chahte hain. Lekin local domestic players ke liye ye auction kisi nightmare se kam nahi tha, kyunki franchises ne zyada interest nahi dikhaya, except for
Sameer Minhas
jinhe PKR 19 million mile.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
The Guru Gyan believes that while the auction model is a step forward for the
PCB
, the numbers being quoted are more about regional pride than actual market value. Paying PKR 86.5 million for
Naseem Shah
is a gamble, considering his fitness record. The fact that a talent like
Shahnawaz Dahani
went unsold exposes the inconsistency and lack of long-term planning within the franchises. It is high time
Pakistan
focuses on building a structure that values performance over hype. This auction was a flashy event, but can it produce the level of cricket we see in the
IPL
? Only time will tell. For now, it is just PKR millions on paper and inconsistency on the field.
Stay tuned to The Guru Gyan for more unfiltered cricket masala!
