KEY POINTS
- Player retentions have been cut from eight to four per team
- Only one player allowed per salary category
- Salary cap has been raised to $1.6 million, and each team gets one direct signing for players new to the league.
- Expansion teams, Hyderabad and Sialkot, will pre-sign four players each from an open pool.
LAHORE, Pakistan: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will abandon its traditional player draft and adopt a full auction-based recruitment system from the upcoming Season 11, marking a major structural shift in the league’s history.
The decision, confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday, follows months of deliberation and contention between the league and its franchises over roster-building mechanisms.
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From draft to “drauction” to full Auction
The PCB had previously explored a hybrid “drauction” model, a blend of draft and auction, but ultimately opted for a complete overhaul.
In an official statement, the PCB said the move aims at “enhancing competitive balance, increasing transparency, and providing players greater earning opportunities.”
The shift is expected to trigger the largest player migration between teams the league has ever witnessed.
Retention rules slashed in half
A major point of negotiation was player retention, especially with the addition of two new franchises, Hyderabad and Sialkot.
Existing teams previously could retain up to eight players, but this was deemed untenable with the expansion.
A compromise was reached: retentions have been halved to four players per franchise, with a strict limit of only one player per category (Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver).
This means a team like Lahore Qalandars cannot retain both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf if both are categorised in Platinum, only one may be kept. Player categorisations for the new season are yet to be announced.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 19, 2026
Levelling the field for new teams
To ensure fairness for the new entrants, all players not retained by their previous teams will enter an open pool.
Hyderabad and Sialkot will each be allowed to pre-sign four players from this pool before the main auction, bringing them to parity with the existing teams.
The mechanism for these signings, whether through a mini-draft or another process, remains unspecified.
Additionally, each franchise can make one direct signing outside the auction, but only for a player who did not feature in the previous PSL season.
Increased salary cap and pending decisions
The total team purse has been raised to USD 1.6 million, a significant increase from the previous cap of approximately USD 1.1 million, allowing for more aggressive bidding and higher player earnings.
Two critical details remain unresolved: the auction date and the ownership of the Multan Sultans.
The PCB initially planned to operate the franchise this season but, encouraged by record-breaking bids for Hyderabad and Sialkot, has now put the team up for auction.
The deadline for technical bids is January 30.
The sweeping reforms mark a bold new chapter for the PSL, aiming to reinvigorate team dynamics and fan engagement as the league expands to eight teams for the first time.
