Steve Smith becomes the most expensive player in the history of Pakistan Super League
It was hard to imagine just a couple of months ago that an Australian athlete would find himself in the spotlight, especially with such a high profile. But the fact remains: Steve Smith becomes the most expensive player in the history of Pakistan Super League. The figure is 14 crore Pakistani rupees. Converted to more familiar international terms, this is approximately $500,000.
Steve Smith becomes the most expensive player in the history of Pakistan Super League: deal
The player entered the league not through the traditional draft, that the PSL has used for the past ten years, but as a direct selection of a new team, the Sialkot Stallions. By the way, the very existence of the emergence of this club is a separate story. The league expanded from six to eight teams, and the owners of the new franchises, apparently, decided not to skimp. Steve Smith becomes the most expensive player in the history of Pakistan Super League, as the Stallions wrote a check for half a million dollars without even waiting for the auction.
All this is happening amid personnel changes in the Australian national team. Smith, according to media reports, has been offered a place in the Aussies squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. He is expected to replace the injured Mitchell Marsh. So the athlete’s arrival in Pakistan is also an opportunity to get into shape before a major tournament.
Steve Smith becomes the most expensive player in the history of Pakistan Super League: star auction
The bidding that took place in Lahore on Wednesday was truly intense. Just look at the list of overseas stars who entered the auction. There’s David Warner, Adam Zampa, Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman. Mustafizur Rahman, Devon Conway, Rillo Rossou, and Tabraiz Shamsi – these are really big names. Even Marnus Labasschain, who doesn’t usually feature much in short-form games, was on the list. In total, the teams signed contracts with 103 players.
But Steve Smith becomes the most expensive player in the history of Pakistan Super League. However, if you dig deeper, the status should not mislead into thinking that the league is only relying on foreigners. Local Pakistani players have also fetched very high prices.
For example, Naseem Shah. A young but already serious fast bowler. Islamabad United bought him for ₹8.65 crore, making him the most expensive Pakistani player in the auction. Faheem Ashraf, who was paid 8.5 crore, will be in the same team alongside him. Those figures, you must agree, almost catch up with Smith.
As for the deductions, there is a very interesting picture here. While Peshawar Zalmi retained Babar Azam for ₹7 crore, the biggest contract among the retained players went to Saim Ayub. Peshawar paid ₹12.2 crore for him. That’s even more than they paid for Smith, in rupees. However, it’s important to understand the difference in status: Smith is a new player and a direct foreigner, while Ayub is a locally trained player whom the club didn’t want to let go.
Speaking of reforms, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to radically change its approach. Instead of the draft, which had been in place for the past ten years, they’ve introduced a full-fledged auction. And this, it seems, is just the beginning. The league is clearly aiming to become more competitive. The dates are also chosen wisely: the tournament will run from March 26 to May 3. This means that the PSL will run in parallel with the Indian Premier League.
It is worth mentioning separately the money that went towards expansion. The new teams didn’t appear out of nowhere. Their rights were purchased by Pakistani-born businessmen living abroad. And the amounts here are of a completely different order: 185,000 crore and 175,000 crore respectively. This is not even close to the figures circulating around the players. In addition, Multan Sultans changed its registration and ownership, becoming Rawalpindi.
Overall, the Smith deal isn’t just news about one player. It’s a signal: PSL is changing, investing serious resources, attracting big names, and is ready to compete. Whether the new system and new money will succeed in making the league stronger remains to be seen. But the beginning has been bright.
