India, Dec. 2 -- For years, the traffic between the IPL and PSL felt one-way: Pakistan's league was where players went to impress, India's was where they went to cash in. That script is getting more complicated.

In the last two seasons, as the windows of both tournaments have started to overlap, PSL has quietly turned into a second act for some of the IPL's biggest names - even as younger players still treat it as a stepping stone into the Indian league.

Faf du Plessis is the clearest symbol of this shift. Released after a modest 2025 season with the Delhi Capitals, the 41-year-old has opted out of the 2026 IPL mini-auction altogether and committed to the PSL instead, ending a 14-season IPL run with CSK, RCB, DC, and Rising Pune SuperGi...