Sahibzada Farhan and Salman Agha - (Source: AFP)
On Tuesday, February 3, Islamabad United named their retentions for PSL 2026 ahead of the inaugural auction. In a significant move, Shadab Khan has been retained in the platinum category. Meanwhile, Naseem Shah and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has also been released, meaning that the two will be among the top stars up for grabs in the auction.
Talking about the retentions, as mentioned above, Shadab Khan is the only retention in the platinum category, while Salman Irshad and the USA’s Andreas Gous have been retained in the gold and silver categories, respectively.
- Platinum- Shadab Khan
- Gold- Salman Irshad
- Silver- Andries Gous
Why has Naseem Shah been released by Islamabad United?
Notably, Naseem Shah has not been doing well, which is why the three-time winners have released the right-arm seamer. Talking about Naseem Shah’s performance in PSL 2025, he played 10 innings and picked up just nine wickets.
Naseem’s underwhelming performance was one of the reasons why Islamabad failed to clinch its fourth title. However, the 22-year-old did well post PSL, where he picked up 11 wickets in 10 innings in the Caribbean Premier League.
Naseem also took 12 wickets in eight innings during ILT20 and was one of the key stars for Desert Vipers in the final, which helped them beat MI Emirates to win the title. Therefore, his omission from Islamabad’s retention has come as a shock for many.
Salman Agha, Sahibzada Farhan Top names released by Islamabad United
Not just Naseem Shah, but Islamabad United have released Muhammad Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan & Imad Wasim. The fans are puzzled because Agha and Sahibzada Farhan are in top form ahead of the upcoming season.
Salman Ali Agha is enjoying the best phase of his life as the Pakistan captain has 120 runs in three innings against Australia, averaging 40 and a whopping strike-rate of 171.43. Sahibzada Farhan, on the other hand, was Pakistan’s top run getter in 2025 with 771 runs in 26 innings. Therefore, releasing the likes of Agha and Sahibzada has sent the internet into a shockwave.
PSL 2026 retentions of all teams
Similar to Naseem Shah, there were speculations that several Pakistani international players would be released. Therefore, here is the complete list of retained players ahead of the auction.
Lahore Qalandars
- Platinum: Shaheen Afridi
- Diamond: Salman Mirza
- Gold: Zaman Khan
- Silver: Muhammad Naeem
Peshawar Zalmi
- Platinum: Babar Azam
- Diamond: Sufyan Muqeem
- Gold: Muhammad Haris
- Emerging: Ali Raza
Islamabad United
- Platinum: Shadab Khan
- Gold: Salman Irshad
- Silver: Andreas Gous
Quetta Gladiators
- Platinum: Abrar Ahmed
- Diamond: Usman Tariq
- Gold: Khawaja Nafay
- Emerging: Shamyl Hussain
Multan Sultans
- Platinum: M. Rizwan
- Diamond: Usama Mir
- Gold: Faisal Akram
- Silver: Ubaid Shah
Karachi Kings
- Platinum: David Warner
- Diamond: Abbas Afridi
- Gold: Khushdil Shah
- Emerging: Fawad Ali
Notably, a few reports have mentioned that Salman Ali Agha might actually switch Sialkot franchise, a new team for PSL 2026. Salman might lead the Stallionz, which is why Islamabad have relased the Pakistan captain.
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