As expected Lahore Qalandars have picked former South African captain AB de Villiers at the Pakistan Super League (PSL) players draft for the upcoming season. As per the draft policy, Lahore Qalandars were given the option of ‘first pick’ in the Platinum category. Apart from de Villiers, the Platinum category featured players like Steve Smith, Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum, Colin Munro and Dwayne Bravo. And expectedly, Lahore Qalandars went for the star batsman de Villiers.

De Villiers, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, has made himself available for the PSL T20 for the first time. Having retired from the international cricket, the right-handed batsman will now feature in various T20 leagues around the globe. Meanwhile, De Villiers is in action in the ongoing Mzansi Super League in South Africa. PSL Players Draft 2018 Live Streaming and Updates: Watch Live Video of Pakistan Super League T20 2019 Auction

Earlier, in a video message shared by PSL, de Villiers announced that he will feature in the fourth season of the league. "The Pakistan Super League has grown into one of the top T20 tournaments around the world. It has given Pakistanis much to cheer about. I've absolutely enjoyed watching some of the PSL games on television in recent years. But 2019 will be different. In 2019, I will be participating in the PSL. I certainly can't wait. I'll see you there. Aap ka shukria (thank you!)," de Villiers said in a video posted by PSL on Twitter.  PSL Players Draft: List of Players Available for Pakistan Super League T20 2019

Apart from de Villiers, Lahore Qalandars, who have mostly struggled in the previous seasons, also picked Mohammad Hafeez, Windies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite, Kiwi all-rounder Corey Anderson and Nepal’s young spinner Sandeep Lamichhane.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2018 04:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).