2026 Pakistan Super League

2026 Pakistan Super League
Tournament logo
Dates26 March 2026 – 3 May 2026
AdministratorPakistan Cricket Board
Cricket formatTwenty20
Tournament format(s)Double round robin and playoffs
Participants8
Matches44
Official websitepsl-t20.com

The 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL 11) will be the eleventh season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The season will mark the league's expansion from six to eight franchises, following the PCB's confirmation that the 2025 edition would be the last with six teams.[1] The expansion is part of a broader plan to increase the tournament's commercial value, with new franchises expected to cost between US$7 million and US$10 million each.[2]

The 2026 season will run from 26 March to 3 May 2026, the new window marks a slight shift forward from previous year's edition, which was played in April-May, shift is mainly due to the timing of the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in February and March in India and Sri Lanka. This will be the longest season of PSL. [3] The matches are expected to be played across multiple cities in Pakistan, continuing the home-and-away format used in previous editions.[4]

Background

After the conclusion of the tenth season in 2025, the initial ten-year franchise agreements for the six original teams expired. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) engaged Ernst & Young to conduct a valuation of the league's assets to set new terms for the next decade (2026–2035).[5] In November 2025, five of the existing six franchises successfully renewed their contracts under the new financial model except Multan Sultans.[6] The Multan Sultans franchise owner Ali Tareen announced that he would not renew his agreement with the PCB, citing financial losses and disagreements regarding the league's management.[7] The rights to the Multan franchise reverted to the PCB, which decided to resale the franchise before 2026 season.[8]

As part of the Pakistan Cricket Board's plan to expand the Pakistan Super League from six to eight teams, an auction for two new franchises was held on 8 January 2026. Six cities were shortlisted for consideration: Faisalabad, Gilgit, Hyderabad, Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi and Sialkot. Following the auction, Hyderabad Kingsmen and Sialkot Stallionz were selected as the league's seventh and eighth teams, with ownership rights acquired by FKS Group and OZ Developers respectively.[9][10][11]

An auction to find a new owner for the Multan Sultans franchise was held on 9 February 2026. Walee Technologies acquired the franchise and decided to dissolve the Multan Sultans identity and relocate the team to Rawalpindi.[8]

Broadcast rights

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sold the international broadcast rights for the 2026 Pakistan Super League under a one-year agreement, recording a 149 percent increase in value compared to the previous rights cycle, although official financial figures were not disclosed.[12] The rights package excludes the Indian market, as the PCB decided to withhold broadcast rights for India. As a result, matches of the 2026 season will not be officially broadcast or streamed in India.[13]

Teams

The 2026 Pakistan Super League will feature eight teams for the first time. Five original franchises will be playing their 11th season, while three new teams will make their debut. The Multan Sultans, who were at 6th position in previous season, will not be part of this edition.[14][8]

Team Appearances Previous season result Total titles
Hyderabad Kingsmen 1st Did not exist 0
Islamabad United 11th 3rd 3
Karachi Kings 11th 4th 1
Lahore Qalandars 11th Champions 3
Peshawar Zalmi 11th 5th 1
Quetta Gladiators 11th Runner up 1
Rawalpindi (Name not revealed) 1st Did not exist 0
Sialkot Stallionz 1st Did not exist 0

Personnel signings

Main article: 2026 Pakistan Super League personnel signings and auction

The player auction for the eleventh season was held on 11 February 2026 in Lahore Pakistan. It was the first time in PSL history that players were selected through an auction system, replacing the draft method that had been used since the league began in 2016.[15] Team purse was capped at Rs. 450m and was allowed to be extended to Rs. 505m to allow direct signing of one foreign player who hadn't featured in previous season. Franchises were allowed to retain up to four players, one in each category before the auction; new franchises were allowed to sign four players to match the retentions of the other six franchises.[16][17] 888 players including local and foreign registered for the auction at 4 different base prices.[18]

Rawalpindi signed Pakistani pacer Naseem Shah for PKR 8.65 crore, making him the most expensive player in the auction. Additionally, they secured New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell for PKR 8.00 crore, the most expensive overseas signing.[19]

Squads

Islamabad United Karachi Kings Hyderabad Kingsmen Lahore Qalandars
Peshawar Zalmi Quetta Gladiators Rawalpindi Sialkot Stallionz

Venues

See also: List of Pakistan Super League venues
Lahore Peshawar Rawalpindi Hyderabad
Gaddafi Stadium Imran Khan Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Niaz Stadium
Lahore Qalandars Peshawar Zalmi Islamabad United Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen
Capacity: 34,000 Capacity: 35,000 Capacity: 17,000 Capacity: 15,000
Matches: Matches: Matches: Matches:
Faisalabad Karachi Multan
Iqbal Stadium National Bank Cricket Arena Multan Cricket Stadium
Sialkot Stallionz Karachi Kings
Capacity: 18,000 Capacity: 35,000 Capacity: 35,000
Matches: Matches: Matches:

Format

The 2026 edition will be played under a different format from the previous ten editions. Unlike earlier seasons, where teams competed in a double round-robin format, each team will play the others only once during the league round.[14]

Following the league round, the eight teams will advance to the Super Four stage, where they will be divided into two groups of four teams each. Teams will play matches within their respective groups, and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs.[20]

The playoffs will consist of knockout matches, concluding with the final to determine the champion.[14]

Prize money

The champions will receive US$500,000 which is the same as the previous edition. While, the runner-up team will receive US$300,000, which is an increase from the last year's US$200,000 reward. Moreover, a US$200,000 reward will be awarded to the “best franchise contributing towards cricket development".[21]

Points table

Pos Team Pld W L NR Pts NRR
1 Hyderabad Kingsmen 0 0 0 0 0 —
2 Islamabad United 0 0 0 0 0 —
3 Karachi Kings 0 0 0 0 0 —
4 Lahore Qalandars 0 0 0 0 0 —
5 Peshawar Zalmi 0 0 0 0 0 —
6 Quetta Gladiators 0 0 0 0 0 —
7 Rawalpindi 0 0 0 0 0 —
8 Sialkot Stallionz 0 0 0 0 0 —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:

After league stage teams will advance to the Super Fours round.
  Advanced to Group A
  Advanced to Group B


League fixtures

References

  1. ^ "PSL to become eight-team tournament from 2026, confirms PCB". ESPNcricinfo. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  2. ^ "HBL PSL planned for expansion with hefty price tags for new teams in 2026". The Express Tribune. 16 March 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  3. ^ "PSL 2026 Set To Clash With IPL Again As PCB Courts Global Investors Ahead Of Franchise Expansion". Wisden. 16 December 2025.
  4. ^ "PCB considers new schedule and venues for PSL expansion". Geo News. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi renew PSL rights for 10 years". CricTracker. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Karachi Kings to reign for another decade". Pakistan Cricket Board. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Ali Tareen bows out as Multan Sultans owner after franchise denied renewal". Dawn. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  8. ^ a b c "Multan Sultans resold and changed to Rawalpindi". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  9. ^ "PCB announces auction date for two new PSL teams". Geo Super. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  10. ^ "PSL Announces Auction Date for Two New Franchises". ProPakistani. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  11. ^ Ali, Abbas (8 January 2026). "'Historic': Hyderabad, Sialkot join PSL as flagship league expands to eight teams". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  12. ^ "HBL PSL International Media Rights Sold – Another Record Shattered". Pakistan Cricket Board.
  13. ^ "PCB withholds PSL 11 broadcast rights in India". Geo.tv.
  14. ^ a b c "PSL 2026 schedule: How many matches will be played in 11th edition". Jang.
  15. ^ "PCB announces HBL PSL XI players auction on Feb 11". The Express Tribune. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  16. ^ "PSL: Babar, Shaheen retained in Platinum category; Sultans release Rizwan". ESPNcricinfo.
  17. ^ Khaliq, Saleem (25 January 2026). "PSL Franchises agree on players' auction". Espncricinfo.
  18. ^ "PSL 2026 Auction: Full List Of Players With Base Price For Pakistan Super League Auction". Wisden. 10 February 2026.
  19. ^ "PSL 2026 auction: Here is what happened!". KhelWire. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  20. ^ "PSL 11 to feature eight teams, revised format". Dunya News.
  21. ^ "Mohsin Naqvi announces revised prize money for next PSL edition". Dawn. 21 November 2025.
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