The Pakistan Super League is set to adopt a player auction model for its 11th season, replacing the traditional draft system that has been used since the league’s launch. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced this transformative decision on Monday, January 19, 2026.
The upcoming season will also witness the expansion of the league with two new franchises from Hyderabad and Sialkot joining the competition. This strategic shift aims to enhance competitive balance, increase transparency, and provide players with greater earning opportunities.
The player salary purse has been increased from USD 1.3 million to USD 1.6 million per franchise, reflecting the league’s growth. This significant boost in team budgets will allow franchises to compete more aggressively for top talent during the auction.
Major Shift in Player Acquisition
The transition from draft to auction represents a major change in how PSL teams will build their squads. According to PSL CEO Salman Naseer, the auction system will increase transparency and enhance the competitive balance of teams in the league. This move aligns with the PCB’s commitment to innovation and the league’s continued growth trajectory. The auction format, already proven successful in other major T20 leagues, promises intense bidding wars and strategic team-building opportunities for all franchises.
New Retention And Auction Rules
Under the new structure for PSL 2026, each franchise will be permitted to retain a maximum of four players, with the restriction of one player per category. The provisions for mentors, brand ambassadors, and the Right to Match option have been eliminated for this season. The newly inducted teams from Hyderabad and Sialkot will be allowed to select and retain four players from the available pool before the main auction commences.
Each franchise will also be granted one direct signing of a foreign player who did not participate in PSL 10. This rule enables teams to infuse fresh international talent into their lineups and brings marquee stars who were previously unavailable to the league.
Ongoing Deliberations And Challenges
Despite the announcement, consensus on certain matters remains elusive. The addition of two new franchises has complicated player retention discussions, with disagreement on balancing the interests of existing franchises wanting to retain their core players versus giving new teams fair opportunities. New franchises are pushing for fewer player retentions to enable them to pick from a larger pool of available talent.
A working group has been constituted to deliberate further on agenda items, with the governing council ready to reconvene as necessary. Additionally, the ownership status of Multan Sultans remains unresolved, with the PCB planning to auction the franchise before the tournament after deciding against running it in-house.
