Significant changes have been officially announced in the administrative structure of the Pakistan Super League, under which player selection in the 11th edition of the HBL PSL will be conducted through an auction system instead of the traditional draft format.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board, the introduction of the auction system aims to create more balanced teams and provide players with greater financial returns in line with their performance and abilities. Under the new format, each franchise will be allowed to retain a total of four players before the auction, with the condition that only one player can be retained from each category.
As part of the administrative reforms, the roles of mentors and brand ambassadors and the right-to-match rule have been abolished in the new edition to simplify and streamline the league’s structure. Additionally, both newly inducted teams have been granted permission to select four players each ahead of the auction to help them build competitive squads.
Furthermore, each franchise has been allowed to directly sign one international player, with the condition that the selected foreign player must not have been part of the 2025 PSL edition, allowing teams to bring in fresh international talent.
It is noteworthy that the 11th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League will commence on March 26, and for the first time, matches will also be played at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, a development seen as an important step toward expanding the league and increasing fan engagement.
