The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced major changes to the administrative and operational structure of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), which would come into effect from the tournament’s 11th edition.
Under the new framework, the traditional player draft system would be replaced with an auction-based system starting from PSL 11.
The officials believe the auction model will help franchises build more balanced squads while providing players with improved financial opportunities.
The PCB has also decided to abolish the roles of mentors and brand ambassadors, along with the Right to Match (RTM) rule. Ahead of the auction, each franchise will be allowed to retain a total of four players, with the condition that only one player can be retained from each category.
Both newly introduced franchises have been granted special concessions, allowing them to select four players each before the auction.
Additionally, franchises will be permitted to directly sign one international player, provided that the player did not participate in the PSL 2025 edition.
For the auction, the salary cap for each team has been set at USD 1.6 million. The 11th edition of the HBL PSL is scheduled to begin on March 26, and for the first time, some matches will be hosted at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.
The PCB officials stated that these reforms aim to make the league more competitive, transparent and aligned with international standards.
