ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will hold the auction for two new franchises today (Thursday) as part of the expansion of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL). The bidding will take place at the Jinnah Convention Centre, with proceedings scheduled to formally begin at 4:15pm.
The PCB said that this marks the first time in the league’s history that two new teams are being added simultaneously. With the inclusion of the new franchises, the number of PSL teams will increase from six to eight starting from Season 11.
The auction will be broadcast live on the official YouTube channels of the PCB and PSL, as well as on Tapmad, Tamasha and PCB Live (UK). Local sports channels including A Sports, Geo Super, Fast Sports and PTV Sports will also televise the event live.
Sources said intense competition is expected among 10 leading companies bidding for ownership of the new teams. The interested parties include M-Next, Daharki Sugar Mills, FKS, Prism Developers, Inverex Solar, Jazz, i2c, Walee Technologies, VGO Tel and OZI Developers.
PCB officials said potential cities for the new franchises include Faisalabad, Gilgit, Hyderabad, Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi and Sialkot. However, the final selection of cities will be announced after the auction process is completed.
PSL Season 11 is scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3, 2026.
Following the auction, a special ceremony will be held featuring a performance by renowned singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Prize distribution ceremonies for the winning teams of Pakistan Shaheens and the Hong Kong Super Sixes will also take place.
The PCB said the official hashtag for the PSL auction event is #NewEra, symbolising the league’s expansion and the beginning of a new phase in its history.
