LAHORE: While former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum and England one-day captain Eoin Morgan have consented to take part in the second edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), franchise owners met the PSL management at the National Cricket Academy here on Friday.

PSL chairman Najam Sethi chaired the meeting in which several decisions were taken to make the next edition more successful.

“PSL 2 promises to be bigger and better and the player roster is beginning to show why. Legendary former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and current England T20 and ODI captain Eoin Morgan have consented to take part in the PSL,” a press-release issued by the PCB stated.

Sethi hopes to host final in Pakistan

McCullum, who led the New Zealand side through a golden period culminating in a World Cup final appearance in 2015, retired from international cricket last year.

“Having participated in T20 leagues across the globe, McCullum’s addition to PSL marks the arrival of another modern-day T20 icon,” it stated.

Morgan led the English side to the final of the ICC World T20 this year.

Sharing his thoughts on the new addition, Sethi said: “McCullum and Morgan are proven international stars who not only bring wealth of international cricket experience but also invaluable leadership.

“While we have announced these two names, there are at least a dozen additional top-level signings that will be revealed in coming days. It will be interesting to see how teams manage their retentions and transfers given such quality additions to the player draft.”

Sethi further said, “We are buoyed by the success of the first season and things are now getting into an exciting phase for the second season.

“We will leave no stone unturned in bringing unparalleled cricket entertainment to fans. We will also try our best to stage the final of the second edition in Pakistan.”

The second edition is to be held in February in the UAE.

Meanwhile, the press-release further stated: “It is decided that the teams may retain up to 16 players from their existing squads. All players who were brought on board by a team, regardless of whether they played, are eligible for retention.

“The retention window will also provide teams with a chance to renegotiate with existing players and the window closes on September 14. The transfer window is concurrently open with teams in a position to leverage their draft picks and / or existing squads to find an ideal balance.”

The player draft is set to take place in October with the UAE emerging as a likely venue since leading players will be engaged in Pakistan’s home series in the UAE against the West Indies.

The draft order will follow the principle of placing the bottom-placed team from the previous year at an advantage.

Consequently, Lahore Qalandars will have the first pick in every round. Karachi Kings will have the second pick, Peshawar Zalmi third, Quetta Gladiators fourth, and Islamabad United will make the final pick in every round.

“The five franchises have unanimously agreed to an increase in the salary cap to US$1.2 million. It is also decided that all players in the emerging players category will have to be under-23 as of January 1, 2017 with at least one player from the home region of the franchise,” it was also decided.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2016