PSL 11 to kick off from March 26, says PCB

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced that the 11th season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will kick off on Thursday, March 26, featuring eight teams following the inclusion of two new franchises.

The date was decided during the meeting of PSL Governing Council convened at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on Friday evening to finalise preparations for the upcoming season, according to a press release issued by the cricket board.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi chaired the meeting, which was attended by representatives of all eight PSL franchises, along with PCB and PSL officials.

The council welcomed the new team owners of Sialkot and Hyderabad to the PSL family and congratulated the board and league officials on the successful conclusion of the new teams auction.

The two new PSL franchises were acquired by FKS Group and OZ Developers for a whopping Rs1.75 billion and Rs1.85 billion, respectively.

Detailed discussions during the meeting covered the schedule of PSL 11, player retentions, the adoption of the player auction or a hybrid format called ‘drauction’, and the option of opening direct signings.

It was confirmed that PSL 11 will kick off on Thursday, 26 March, ushering in a new era for the league.

The meeting concluded with the formation of a working group set to convene on Saturday to deliberate further on remaining agenda items. The governing council will reconvene immediately as required to finalise decisions.

The PSL, which began in 2016 with five teams and expanded to six in 2018, further grown with the addition of two new franchises in its 11th edition.

PSL 2026 matches will be hosted in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, and, for the first time, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, marking the venue’s debut as a PSL host city.