Agha Salman, Sahibzada Farhan released as Islamabad United name retentions for PSL 2026

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 GousWhy 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 UnitedNot 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 teamsSimilar 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 QalandarsPlatinum: Shaheen AfridiDiamond: Salman MirzaGold: Zaman KhanSilver: Muhammad NaeemPeshawar ZalmiPlatinum: Babar AzamDiamond: Sufyan MuqeemGold: Muhammad HarisEmerging: Ali RazaIslamabad UnitedPlatinum: Shadab KhanGold: Salman Irshad Silver: Andreas GousQuetta GladiatorsPlatinum: Abrar AhmedDiamond: Usman TariqGold: Khawaja NafayEmerging: Shamyl HussainMultan SultansPlatinum: M. RizwanDiamond: Usama MirGold: Faisal AkramSilver: Ubaid ShahKarachi KingsPlatinum: David WarnerDiamond: Abbas AfridiGold: Khushdil ShahEmerging: Fawad AliNotably, 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.