The player draft for the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was held at Islamabad on Tuesday with Lahore Qalandars landing the big fish AB de Villiers.

The South African stalwart was the headline act in the player draft and it was the Lahore franchise that got their hands on him in a Platinum Category pick.

The other big star name in the form of Australia’s Steve Smith went the way of the Sixth Team (formerly Multan Sultans).

The Qalandars then secured the services of veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez as their second Platinum Category pick.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi also joined the Sixth Team as a Platinum pick after he had been released by the Karachi Kings prior to the player draft.

West Indies stalwart Kieron Pollard was snapped up by Peshawar Zalmi in the same category while his compatriot Dwayne Bravo went the way of Quetta Gladiators.

In the Diamond Category picks, Lahore Qalandars got their hands on another Windies all-rounder in the form of Carlos Brathwaite while England’s Joe Denly was signed by the Sixth Team.

Veteran batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, who had earlier turned down the chance to become Islamabad United team mentor, was picked up by Peshawar Zalmi in the Diamond Category.

His former team Islamabad United recruited former England batsman Ian Bell in the category while New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson went the way of Lahore Qalandars.

In the Gold Category picks, there was good news for Nepal leg-spin sensation Sandeep Lamichhane who was signed by the Lahore Qalandars. With this, the teenager has become the first Nepalese player to win a PSL contract and adds to his growing repertoire of stints in T20 franchise cricket across the globe which includes the IPL, Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Big Bash League (BBL) and Global T20 Canada.

Afghanistan leg-spinner Qais Ahmed was signed by the Sixth Team while Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza went the way of Karachi Kings. Another leg-spinner in Australia’s Fawad Ahmed was recruited by the Quetta Gladiators while England batsman Dawid Malan returned to his old side Peshawar Zalmi.

His England compatriot Samit Patel also made a return to defending champions Islamabad United along with another Englishman in Phil Salt while Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies joined the Sixth Team.

In the Silver Category picks, Pakistan all-rounder Haris Sohail moved to the Lahore Qalandars while Cameron Delport was signed by Islamabad United.

The fourth edition of the PSL will get underway in the UAE on February 14, 2019 with the last eight matches of the competition to be held on Pakistan soil.

PLATINUM, DIAMOND, GOLD AND SILVER CATEGORY PICKS

Lahore Qalandars: AB de Villiers (Platinum), Mohammad Hafeez (Platinum), Carlos Brathwaite (Diamond), Corey Anderson (Diamond), Sandeep Lamichhane (Gold), Haris Sohail (Silver)

Quetta Gladiators: Dwayne Bravo (Platinum), Fawad Ahmed (Gold), Mohammad Asghar (Silver), Danish Aziz (Silver), Ahsan Ali (Silver)

Sixth Team: Steve Smith (Platinum), Shahid Afridi (Platinum), Joen Denly (Diamond), Qais Ahmed (Gold), Nicolas Pooran (Gold), Nauman Ali (Silver)

Islamabad United: Ian Bell (Diamond), Samit Patel (Gold), Phil Salt (Gold), Cameron Delport (Silver)

Karachi Kings: Sikandar Raza (Gold), Awais Zia (Silver), Usama Mir (Silver), Aaron Summers (Silver), Sohail Khan (Silver), Iftikhar Ahmed (Silver)

Peshawar Zalmi: Kieron Pollard (Platinum), Misbah-ul-Haq (Diamond), Dawid Malan (Gold), Umar Amin (Gold), Wayne Madsen (Silver), Shoaib Maqsood (Silver), Jamal Anwar (Silver)