Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf have become the highest-paid players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) history, fetching record fees at the league's first-ever auction. Naseem Shah was sold to Rawalpindi for a staggering Rs86.5 million, while Faheem Ashraf joined Islamabad United for Rs85 million. Other notable players who fetched high prices include Daryl Mitchell (Rs80.5 million), Fakhar Zaman (Rs79.5 million), and David Warner (Rs79 million). The auction saw eight franchises competing for top talent, with a total of 879 local and foreign cricketers participating. The PSL has moved from a draft system to an auction model, aiming to increase transparency and competitiveness. Two New Zealanders, Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman, fetched high prices at the PSL auction. Mitchell was sold to Rawalpindi for PKR 80.5 million, while Chapman joined Islamabad United for PKR 70 million. Among Australians, Adam Zampa went to Karachi for PKR 45 million, and Peter Siddle got PKR 25 million. Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen made some strategic moves at the PSL auction, signing Marnus Labuschagne and retaining Saim Ayub. They picked up Hammad Azam and Shayan Jahangir, two Pakistan-born players representing the USA, to strengthen their Pakistan-American brand image. Lahore Qalandars landed Ubaid Shah, Naseem's youngest brother, while Hunain Shah joined Hyderabad Kingsmen after initially going unsold. The auction saw limited interest in domestic Pakistani players, except for Sameer Minhas, who was bought by Islamabad United for PKR 19 million after a bidding battle. Shahnawaz Dahani, a PSL standout, surprisingly found no takers.