‘Players rejected from IPL play PSL’: Pakistani cricketer bluntly, showed mirror to PCB on comparison

By Samira Vishwas On Apr 16, 2026

Veteran Pakistani cricketer Ahmed Shehzad once again reacted strongly to the comparison between the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League. Shahzad, who remained unsold in PSL 2026, said that it is not right to compare the two leagues because the level and priority of the players are clearly different.

Shahzad said on his YouTube channel that most of the foreign players playing in Pakistan Super League have either retired from international cricket or were left unsold in the IPL auction. Giving examples, he took the names of David Warner and Steve Smith and said that players who had a chance to play in IPL, would always give priority to them.

📢 Ahmed Shehzad brutally owned PSL:
You only have players left in the PSL who have either retired from the IPL, gone unsold in the IPL, or have no future in the IPL, like David Warner and Steve Smith. If any current player has a chance to play, they will choose the IPL. So how… pic.twitter.com/2GTSopxZPA
— TEJASH (@Tejashyyyyy) April 14, 2026

Shahzad brought down the honor of PSL
He also criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board, which talks about banning foreign players who leave PSL contracts and go to play IPL. Shahzad raised the question that how many players will be banned when every player wants to play in IPL.

psl vs ipl controversy
This whole controversy started when Pakistani journalists asked Kushal Mendis and Riley Russo, playing in PSL, to compare the experience of IPL and PSL. Shahzad called these questions unnecessary and strange.

He said that Mendis is performing well but he is being asked questions which are not related to the game. He also reacted to Russo’s statement, in which Russo described IPL as a Bollywood film and said that real cricket takes place in the Pakistan Super League.

‘Only those who do not get a chance in IPL play PSL’

According to Shehzad, no player can openly praise IPL while playing in PSL, because it can affect the atmosphere of the league and the team. In such situations, players often give balanced or diplomatic answers.

It is noteworthy that the issue of comparison between IPL and PSL has been discussed for a long time. IPL is considered to be the world’s largest and financially strongest T20 league, while Pakistan Super League is also trying to make its mark. Shahzad’s statement has once again fueled the debate as to what is the real difference between the two leagues and which league is the first choice of the players.