By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League will adopt a player auction system for the first time in its history, ditching the draft model as part of sweeping changes aimed at boosting competition and player earnings, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Monday.
The move to an auction for the 11th edition of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament marks a significant shift after 10 years of using drafts, with the PCB hailing it as a step to reinforce the league’s “continued growth, competitiveness, and commitment to innovation”. “This strategic shift is aimed at enhancing competitive balance, increasing transparency, and providing players greater earning opportunities,” the PCB said in a statement.
Under the new rules, franchises will be allowed to retain a maximum of four players ahead of the auction, with only one per category — a sharp cut from the previous system that permitted eight retentions plus a mentor, brand ambassador and a “Right to Match” option for a ninth player. The PCB confirmed that mentors, brand ambassadors and the Right to Match have all been scrapped for PSL XI. Newly inducted teams will get to select and retain four players from the available pool before the auction.
In a bid to inject fresh overseas talent, each franchise can also make one direct signing of a foreign player who did not appear in the previous edition, PSL X. The salary purse for each team has been hiked to $1.6 million, which the PCB said underlines the league’s “commitment to rewarding player performance and attracting elite domestic and international cricketers”. “These progressive measures reflect the League’s strategic trajectory and evolution, while remaining firmly rooted in its mission to promote cricketing excellence, fan engagement, and attaining unprecedented heights,” the statement said.
PSL 11 is set to kick off on March 26, with Faisalabad joining the list of venues — a return to prominence for the city that expands the tournament’s reach across Pakistan. The PCB said further details on the auction process, full schedule and other guidelines would be released later.
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