The 11th edition of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) will see another historic development as the franchise shifts to a player auction model instead of the traditional player recruitment system, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday.
The board called the transition to the auction model “a historic step after a decade of success” and said it reinforced PSL’s “continued growth, competitiveness and commitment to innovation.”
“This strategic change aims to improve competitive balance, increase transparency and provide players with greater revenue opportunities,” PCB said today in a statement.
Under the revised player acquisition framework, each franchise can retain a maximum of four players, limited to one player per category. Previously, each franchise was allowed to retain eight players from its team, including a mentor, a brand ambassador and a Right to Match (RTM) option to retain a ninth player in the draft.
Rules relating to mentors, brand ambassadors and RTM have been abolished for PSL XI, the statement said.
“Newly inducted teams will be allowed to select and retain four players from the available player pool before the player auction,” it adds.
He added that each franchise will also be entitled to the direct signing of a foreign player who did not feature in PSL X, allowing teams to strategically strengthen their squads with new international talent.
Further strengthening the league’s commercial and competitive outlook, the players’ salary purse has been increased to $1.6 million per franchise, which the statement said underlines PSL’s “commitment to rewarding player performance and attracting elite domestic and international cricketers.”
“These progressive measures reflect the strategic trajectory and evolution of the League, while remaining firmly anchored in its mission to promote cricketing excellence, fan engagement and achieve unprecedented heights,” he said.
According to the release, PSL 11 will officially begin on March 26. Additionally, Faisalabad was added as an additional venue to host League matches, “marking the city’s return to the limelight and further expanding the League’s national footprint”.
He added that additional details regarding the player auction process, timeline and operational guidelines would be shared in due course.
