Rassie van der Dussen Mohsin Naqvi. Image Credits: X
The PSL conducted its historic maiden auction last week, but South African batter Rassie van der Dussen shockingly went unsold. Now, the Lahore Qalandars COO has come out to clarify his sudden snub.
On February 11 in Lahore, PSL conducted its first-ever auction, thus scrapping the traditional draft system. The auction featured 888 registered players across four base price tiers, with team purses capped at PKR 450 million.
Rassie van der Dussen rejects PSL deal
Interestingly, among the big player pool, South African batter Rassie van der Dussen was also listed at a price of PKR 4.20 crore. However, despite having prior experience in the PSL, he went unsold.
His snub left fans shocked and surprised, as they expected Dussen to join his former team, Lahore Qalandars. However, after much speculation, Qalandars issued an official statement.
Team COO, Sameer Rana, took to X to confirm that Rassie van der Dussen was not unsold but instead opted out of the PSL 2026.
Rana revealed that the franchise had initiated steps regarding Rassie van der Dussen’s participation. However, the PCB informed them that the batter would not be available for the tournament.
"We send the confirmation to PCB to sign RVD but have been informed by PCB that due to his family commitments he will not be coming to PSL . He has chosen to prioritise his time at home, and we fully respect his decision," Rana said on X.
The message made it clear that the decision was personal rather than performance-related.
Rassie previously played for Qalandars
In PSL 2024, Rassie van der Dussen played for Lahore Qalandars and had a career-best season, scoring 364 runs in 7 games at a 72.80 average, including a century and three fifties. However, in 2025, he moved to Islamabad United, where he could play only three games.
That being said, Rassie van der Dussen was not the only prominent cricketer to miss out.
The PSL 2026 auction list of unsold players featured several big international names. Among them were Usman Khawaja, Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jimmy Neesham, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Keshav Maharaj.
A few local players, including Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mehmood, and Hussain Talat, also failed to attract bids.
Afghanistan players boycott PSL auction
In another development, Afghanistan players also pulled out of the PSL 2026 auction after political backlash linked to strained Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
The controversy began with Peshawar Zalmi’s direct signing of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who later withdrew following public criticism.
Senior Afghan players then chose to avoid the auction altogether. PSL CEO Salman Naseer admitted backlash played a role.
The situation is similar to a recent incident in the IPL, where the BCCI in India asked KKR to let go of Mustafizur Rahman due to political pressure.
With multiple incidents unfolding in quick succession, cricket in South Asia appears increasingly vulnerable to diplomatic tensions, raising concerns about politics dictating participation in major leagues.
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