PSL 11: Hyderabad team unveiled amid cricketing fanfare, celebrity turnout

HYDERABAD: The official name and logo of the seventh Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise were unveiled on Saturday at a star-studded ceremony at Niaz Stadium, marking the team’s formal entry into the tournament.

The franchise, which was acquired by FKS Group for staggering Rs 1.75 billion at the historic auction at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad last month, has now been named ‘Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen’.

Besides the nomenclature, the logo of the team was also unveiled during the ceremony and was shared on the franchise’s official social media handles.

“The pitch has a new ruler. The game has a new power. Presenting the Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen,” the caption read. “Let our [PSL] reign begin.”

The development came the following day, the franchise announced signing five players, including Pakistan’s Saim Ayub and Marnus Labuschagne, leading into the historic players auction, scheduled to be held on February 11.

The Houston Kingsmen roped in Ayub for Rs126 million in the Platinum category, followed by Usman for Rs46.2 million in the Diamond, while Maaz and Akif were signed for Rs35 million and Rs19.6 million in the Emerging and Gold categories, respectively.

Labuschagne, on the other hand, joined Hyderabad as a direct signing for an undisclosed amount.

For the unversed, the franchise has also strengthened its coaching panel ahead of the historic edition by bringing in high-profile international names.

Former Pakistan red-ball head coach and Australian all-rounder Jason Gillespie will lead as head coach, with Grant Bradburn joining as fielding coach, Craig White as assistant coach, Hanif Malik as batting coach and Zac Martin taking charge of strength and conditioning.

The eleventh edition of the PSL will see a historic change as the traditional player draft has been replaced by a player auction, while the league itself expands to eight teams for the first time.

This expansion marks a significant milestone in PSL history, following the entry of Multan Sultans in Season 3, which increased the number of teams from five to six.

With the addition of Hyderabad and Sialkot, the league will now feature eight competing teams.