Pakistan Super League - PSL

PCB receives 12 bids for two new PSL franchises​

Dawn Sport
December 24, 2025

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced that it has received an “exceptional and encouraging” response to its tender for the sale of two new franchises of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with 12 parties submitting bids within the stipulated deadline.

According to the PCB, the bidders hail from five countries — the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan — underscoring the league’s growing global footprint and commercial appeal.

Pakistan-based solar power company Inverex Power Solution also confirmed on Wednesday that it will be bidding for one of the two new franchises.

The PCB said the outcome of the initial phase of the bidding process will be announced on December 27.

In the next stage, bidders who meet the technical requirements will be invited to take part in an open competition bidding process for the acquisition of the two new teams.

This phase is scheduled to be held on January 8 at the Islamabad Convention Centre.

The PCB reiterated its commitment to conducting the entire process in a transparent and competitive manner, in line with international standards, with the aim of ensuring the sustained expansion and long-term growth of the PSL.
 

PSL franchises guaranteed Rs850 million from central pool for next five editions​

Mohammad Yaqoob
December 26, 2025

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has guaranteed a minimum share of Rs850 million from the central pool of income to each franchise for the next five editions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), starting from the 11th edition in 2026.

According to clause 6.4 of the agreement — available with Dawn — signed between the PCB and the PSL franchises, if a franchise’s share from the central pool in any of the five editions falls below the guaranteed amount, the PCB will cover the shortfall.

“If the Central Pool Income share of the Franchisee in respect of a Tournament is less than the Minimum Central Pool Income Guarantee (Rs850 million), the PCB shall make good the shortfall,” the clause states.

The provision has largely eased concerns over potential losses for three franchises — Quetta Gladiators, Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi — whose franchise fees are significantly lower than those of Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans.

According to sources, Quetta Gladiators are valued at Rs360 million, Peshawar Zalmi at Rs480 million, Islamabad United at Rs490 million, Karachi Kings at Rs650 million, Lahore Qalandars at Rs670 million and Multan Sultans at Rs1.8 billion.

Meanwhile, the base price for the two new teams — to be auctioned in Islamabad on Jan 8 — has been set at Rs1.3 billion each, according to sources.

All franchises are required to spend $1.4 million each on players’ fees, accommodation and travel during the league. As a result, the overall cost for five franchises — the two new teams along with Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars — remains high and close to the guaranteed minimum of Rs850 million, compared to Gladiators, United and Zalmi.

This disparity was cited by Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen when he raised objections to the PSL’s financial model, arguing that his franchise was incurring losses due to its high valuation. Subsequently, the PCB did not renew ownership rights for the Sultans’ previous owner, while the owners of the remaining five franchises were renewed.
 
Despite the varying costs of franchises, their respective shares from the central pool remain equal. Under the financial model, 95 per cent of the central pool income is distributed among the franchises, with the remaining five per cent retained by the PCB.

According to the clause 6.5 of the agreement, “50pc of the income is to be paid two months after the conclusion of the tournament, 40pc after four months and the remaining 10pc after nine months or upon completion of the PCB’s audit, whichever is earlier”.

In addition, clause 6.6 provides further incentives if the PCB’s annual net media revenue exceeds Rs3 billion. Any excess amount up to Rs50 million will be used to procure elite international players and will be shared between the PCB and franchises in an 80:20 ratio, respectively.

Spor
 

PCB shortlists 10 bidders for two new PSL franchises​

Dawn Sport
December 27, 2025

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday announced that it has approved 10 bidders after completing the technical evaluation of the proposals for the sale of two new franchises of the Pakistan Super League.

The auction for the two teams is slated for Jan 8 in Islamabad and comes after the PCB, which had received 12 proposals, had earlier said that investors from the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan expressed their interest in acquiring the franchises up for sale.

“A total of 12 proposals were received from interested parties within the stipulated deadline from across the globe and were scrutinised by the PCB Bid Committee over the last three days,” PCB said in a statement.

“Following a thorough and transparent evaluation process, the PCB Bid Committee has qualified 10 bidders who have successfully met the technical criteria and now enter the second stage.


“These 10 technically qualified bidders will now proceed to participate in the auction scheduled on Thursday, 8 January, 2026 at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad, where the franchise rights for the two new HBL PSL teams will be up for grabs.

“At the auction, the successful bidders will have the right to choose their franchise team names from amongst the following: Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad and Sialkot.”

PSL chief executive officer Salman Naseer said that the league, which will expand to eight teams by the coming edition, “appreciates the strong interest shown by both local and international investors”.

“The league looks forward to achieving another significant milestone in the expansion and evolution of the PSL as we now prepare for the eagerly awaited auction,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
 

PCB to take over owner-less Multan Sultans for next PSL season​


Dawn Sport
December 28, 2025

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans will be operated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) itself during the upcoming 11th edition of the tournament, the board’s chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday.

The decision comes amid a protracted dispute between the board and the franchise’s former owner, Ali Khan Tareen, whose agreement was not renewed after he was deemed non-compliant due to public criticism of the league’s management.

Multan Sultans, introduced as the sixth team in 2018 and historically the most valuable franchise — acquired initially for a significantly higher fee than others — won the PSL title in 2021 and reached multiple finals.

However, tensions escalated over the past year as Tareen repeatedly voiced concerns over transparency, governance and communication within the PSL setup.

The PCB responded with legal notices, accusing him of breaching contractual obligations, while Tareen threatened counter-legal action and ultimately decided against renewing ownership, citing principles.

Speaking at a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium, Naqvi said: “This year, the PCB will operate Multan Sultans itself. After the end of the next PSL season, God-willing, we will hand it over to its next owners after an auction process.”

He added that an “acting head” for the franchise would be appointed within the next eight to 10 days, preferably a professional cricketer to ensure smooth operations.
 
The development coincides with the PSL’s expansion to eight teams for its 2026 edition — the league’s first major restructuring since Multan Sultans joined seven years ago.

The auction for the two new franchises is scheduled for January 8 in Islamabad, following the shortlisting of 10 technically qualified bidders from domestic and international investors.

Five existing franchises renewed their agreements earlier this year under revised valuations, but Multan Sultans will not go under the hammer ahead of the upcoming season to maintain continuity.

The 11th PSL is set to run from March 26 to May 3, overlapping once again with the Indian Premier League in a bid to attract top overseas talent through enhanced player salaries and prize money.

Naqvi, however, said that deliberations are ongoing with the league’s stakeholders over preponing the starting date to March 23 in order for the tournament’s opening to coincide with the Pakistan Day.

Meanwhile, Naqvi announced that former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has been appointed as the PSL’s brand ambassador and the bowling great will take on the post formally on January 1.
 

Sultans journey with PSL comes to an end​


PCB will take over the franchise for the upcoming season

Saleem Khaliq
January 01, 2026


former cricketers and experts are expected to take over multan sultans for psl 2026 photo pcb


Former cricketers and experts are expected to take over Multan Sultans for PSL 2026. Photo: PCB

KARACHI: The journey of Multan Sultans with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has officially come to an end.

The former owners have lost not only the team but also its official social media accounts and website, losing access to more than 3.5 million followers in total.

According to details, after the former owner’s harsh statements and the public act of tearing up a PCB notice, the possibility of reconciliation between the PCB and Multan Sultans disappeared completely. Therefore, unlike other PSL franchises, no renewal offer was extended to the Sultans.

Instead of terminating the contract immediately, the PCB waited until December 31, after which the franchise agreement officially expired.

For this year’s tournament, the PCB will handle all team operations itself, after which the team will be sold. The new owners will have the option to keep the name “Multan Sultans” or choose a new identity.
 
Ownership rights also include all social media accounts and the official website, which the previous owners have now lost.

Currently, Multan Sultans’ digital following includes: 1.7 million on Facebook, 774,000 on X (Twitter), 576,000 on Instagram, and 506,000 on TikTok.

This marks the second time that the Multan Sultans franchise has lost its ownership. Interestingly, Ali Tareen, who walked away from the franchise with an annual fee of PKR 1.08 billion, is now participating in the bidding for the seventh and eighth PSL teams, whose franchise fees could exceed PKR 1.5 billion.

Sources suggest that despite the increased valuation, the former owners could have retained Multan Sultans for a lower fee, but perhaps they believed that the PCB would bar them from bidding.

However, Chairman Mohsin Naqvi personally welcomed their participation. Now, the former owners find themselves in a difficult position.
 
The auction scheduled for January 8 will see participation from several major parties, which could significantly drive up the bidding price.

On the other hand, some companies have joined the process mainly for publicity in social media , rather than actual franchise ownership.

Spending PKR 2 billion annually to manage a team may be beyond their capacity, but participating in the bidding and creating online buzz helps enhance their public profile.

For this purpose, they only need to spend around USD 20,000, while the USD 200,000 security deposit will be refunded if they fail to win the bid.
 

Revised PSL governing council puts Mohsin in strong position​


Mohammad Yaqoob
January 2, 2026

LAHORE: The revised governing council of the Pakistan Super League, made after an agreement was signed between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and PSL franchises, has given PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi significant powers to take decisions.

According to the agreement signed between the PCB and the PSL franchisees recently, a copy of which is available with Dawn, nine members of the former (PCB) and eight of the latter (franchises) are members of the governing council. So, in terms of voting for decision-making, the position of the PCB looks strong.

The agreement made between the PCB and franchises says: “A revised PSL governing council has been formed that is headed by the PCB chairman. It will be a consultative body which will work towards a common goal of growing and improving the PSL. The PCB chairman will have all decision-making power over the PSL in respect of any and all decisions.

“The PCB representatives on this PSL governing council will be responsible for providing the PSL team with expert support as required in their expertise area.

“The governing council will, at its discretion, take decisions from time to time regarding arrangements (including who will bear costs) in respect of grounds and umpires for PSL Tournaments,” the agreement reads.

The nine PCB officials who are part of the PSL include its PSL chief executive, PCB chief operating officer, PCB chief financial officer, PSL director, PCB commercial director, senior general manager finance and accounts, PSL senior manager, director media and communications, and one representative from each franchisee.
 
In PSL 2026, the PCB will have a 9-7 majority because it has decided to own Multan Sultans which were not presented for sale by the PCB, after its previous owner, Ali Tareen, did not purchase it.

PCB’s decision of owning Multan Sultans will deprive the Board of the franchise’s annual fee, which is around Rs1.08 billion. Moreover, significant spending will have to be made on Multan Sultans’ players, coaching staff, their accommodation and travel, making it difficult for the PCB to make profit from the franchise.

On the other hand, the remaining five owners retained their respective franchises.

Two new franchises — to be selected from among six cities on Jan 8 — are being sold which will make PSL an eight-team contest from its 11th edition starting in March.
 
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has raised the valuation of all six existing Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises to nearly three times their previous prices, and has also set a hefty base price of Rs1.30 billion per year for each of the two new franchises, well-placed sources told Dawn.

The PCB has not yet issued an official announcement regarding the revised valuations, diverging from the practice adopted at the league’s launch in 2016.

However, sources privy to the development said the new prices represent an almost threefold increase. Unlike 2016, when franchise prices were quoted in US dollars, the board has now shifted all league-related financial dealings to Pakistani rupees.
 
In the inaugural season, Quetta Gladiators — champions of the 2019 edition — were the lowest-valued franchise with an annual fee of USD 1.1 million for a 10-year ownership period. At the time, the exchange rate stood at Rs105 per dollar, compared to over Rs280 today.

According to sources, Quetta Gladiators once again carry the lowest valuation among the existing teams, now priced at around Rs360 million per year.
 
The valuation of Peshawar Zalmi — winners of the 2017 edition — has climbed to approximately Rs480 million per year, up from their earlier price of USD 1.6 million.

Karachi Kings, the 2020 champions, have been priced at Rs650 million per year compared to their earlier USD 2.6 million valuation.

Lahore Qalandars — winners of the 2022, 2023 and 2025 editions — will now cost Rs670 million per year, marginally higher than Karachi Kings, up from their previous USD 2.5 million valuation.

Multan Sultans, who joined the league after the first two editions and initially held the highest price tag at USD 6.3 million, have received a revised valuation of Rs1.08 billion per year.

The franchise, which clinched the 2021 title, changed ownership earlier after previous owner Ali Tareen publicly criticised the PCB over various administrative matters related to the league. All other franchises have retained their ownership rights for the next 10 editions.
 
Sources added that the PCB has not increased the annual player budget for the franchises, which remains capped at USD 1.4 million per team.

The PCB has held a roadshow in London to attract investors for the two new franchises as well as for Multan Sultans.

The board has shortlisted six cities — Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Hyderabad, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit — from which two will be finalised to expand the PSL to eight teams. Despite the international roadshow, the PCB has no plans to hold similar events domestically to draw local investors.

However, the board announced on Wednesday that it is going to host a roadshow in New York City on Saturday.
 
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