New franchise at the top? Each team's PSL 2026 auction performance ranked

8. Islamabad United

Squad: Shadab Khan, Salman Irshad, Andries Gous, Devon Conway, Faheem Ashraf, Mehran Mumtaz, Max Bryant, Khurram Shahzad, Mark Chapman, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mir Hamza Sajjad, Sameer Minhas, Sameen Gul, Shamar Joseph, Imad Wasim, Richard Gleeson, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Dipendra Singh Airee.

Islamabad United's pace attack has taken a hit with Joseph's reported release, leaving Hasnain and Wasim Jr to lead an inexperienced seam unit alongside Gleeson and Irshad. The spin department remains solid with Shadab and Imad offering control and experience. However, the batting line-up is heavily reliant on Bryant for explosive starts, with Conway and Chapman better known for accumulation than power-hitting. Faheem and Imad provide some lower-order muscle, but the lack of a genuine finisher and over-dependence on the middle-order make their batting fragile.

7. Peshawar Zalmi

Squad: Babar Azam, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Aaron Hardie, Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Haris, Khalid Usman, Abdul Subhan, James Vince, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Kashif Ali, Mirza Tahir Baig and Khurram Shahzad.

Peshawar Zalmi's batting is built on accumulation. Babar and Vince both prefer pace-setting over power-hitting, while Haris is the only genuine dasher at the top. Mendis can be erratic, and Iftikhar and Samad are high-risk, low-consistency floaters. There is no reliable finisher in the line-up. The bowling may lack firepower, and barring Nahid, who is genuinely fast, none stands out as a consistent wicket-taker either. Bracewell is a containment option, and a lot will rely on Muqeem in the middle.

6. Quetta Gladiators

Squad: Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Hasan Nawaz, Shamyl Hussain, Spencer Johnson, Rilee Rossouw, Faisal Akram, Arafat Minhas, Jahandad Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Wasim Akram Jnr, Khan Zaib, Bismillah Khan, Saqib Khan, Brett Hampton, Sam Harper, Bevon Jacobs, Saud Shakeel, Ben McDermott and Tom Curran.

Quetta have invested heavily in bowling options. Johnson, Curran and Abrar provide variety across phases, with Faisal Akram adding spin depth. Rossouw offers proven explosiveness at the top, and Hampton brings recent form from New Zealand. Yet the batting beyond the duo lacks intimidation, with Shakeel, McDermott and Harper offering stability but perhaps not at the tempo Quetta would want.

Also read: PSL 2026 auction: Full list of sold and unsold overseas cricketers

5. Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen

Squad: Saim Ayub, Akif Javed, Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khan, Mohammad Ali, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Hassan Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Ottniel Baartman, Hammad Azam, Riley Meredith, Sharjeel Khan, Asif Mehmood, Hunain Shah, Rizwan Mehmood, Saad Ali and Tayyab Arif.

Hyderabad have strong top-order options in Saim, Usman and Perera, while Meredith and Baartman offer high-skill pace, but the overall balance appears fragile. Labuschagne’s tempo may not suit high-scoring encounters, and the domestic bowling unit lacks experience. Their matches could be high-scoring affairs, so expect fireworks.

Also Read: Hat-trick and five-for: Ottniel Barrtman snubbed for T20 WC takes team to SA20 playoffs

4. Team Rawalpindi

Squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Sam Billings, Zaman Khan, Yasir Khan, Naseem Shah, Rishad Hossain, Daryl Mitchell, Mohammad Amir, Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Dian Forrestor, Laurie Evans, Asif Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Fawad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan and Shahzaib Khan.

Rawalpindi's batting relies heavily on Rizwan's anchor role and a 38-year-old Evans, who is out of form. Mitchell offers grit but not explosive finishing, while Billings and Ghulam are not known to be highly destructive. The top order lacks power-hitters who can dominate from ball one. Their bowling, however, is elite. Naseem and Amir form a world-class new-ball pair, with Zaman's death bowling and Rishad's leg-spin providing genuine wicket-taking threats. A bowling-heavy squad may have to defend par totals put up by a conservative batting line-up.

3. Karachi Kings

Squad: Hassan Ali, Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Saad Baig, Moeen Ali, David Warner, Azam Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shahid Aziz, Mir Hamza, Adam Zampa, Mohammad Hamza Sohail, Aqib Ilyas, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Johnson Charles, Muhammad Waseem, Ihsanullah and Rizwanullah.

Karachi possess genuine firepower at the top. Warner remains a world-class aggressor, while Charles and Waseem can dismantle attacks on their days. Moeen and Agha provide middle-order stability, though Khushdil and Azam can be unreliable under pressure. The pace attack, led by Hassan and Abbas Afridi, is experienced but lacks the outright pace or venom of other sides. Ihsanullah's fitness remains a concern, and Hamza is better suited to longer formats. Zampa, a massive asset and is one of the best T20 spinners in the world, will need support.

2. Lahore Qalandars

Squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza, Mohammad Naeem, Mustafizur Rahman, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Fakhar Zaman, Ubaid Shah, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Farooq, Dasun Shanaka, Parvez Hossain Emon, Asif Ali, Tayyab Tahir and Gudakesh Motie.

Lahore Qalandars bring raw pace in abundance. Shaheen, Rauf and Mustafizur form a lethal, experienced attack, supported by Ubaid’s potential and Motie's left-arm spin. Fakhar at the top remains their biggest weapon, capable of single-handedly winning games inside the powerplay. However, the middle order looks brittle. Shafique is more suited to Tests, while Asif Ali is probably past his finishing prime. Raza and Shanaka are experienced but inconsistent. All in all, they have a world-class bowling with top-order fireworks, but a lack of composure or power in the middle overs. If Fakhar fails, there might not be much left to rescue them.

1. Sialkot Stallionz

Squad: Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, Steve Smith, Jahanzaib Sultan, Sahibzada Farhan, Ashton Turner, Peter Siddle, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lachlan Shaw, Delano Potgieter, Josh Phillippe, Shan Masood, Momin Qamar and Muhammad Awais Zafar.

The most balanced unit. Steve Smith is in red-hot T20 form, Farhan provides explosive potential, and Masood offers stability. Nawaz is a genuine all-round asset, while Siddle (16 BBL wickets at 17 in 2025/26) and Shamsi form a formidable, wicket-taking bowling core. Spin depth beyond Nawaz is thin, but their overall composition is solid and experienced.

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