KARACHI: Pakistan&#39;s Twenty20 league will be held on schedule from March 26 but without crowds and only at two venues to save resources due to the Gulf crisis, the country&#39;s cricket chief announced Sunday.&nbsp;Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi said the decisions on the Pakistan Super League (PSL) were taken after consultation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.&nbsp;&quot;The prime minister has requested restricted movements of people because of the fuel crisis so we have decided that the PSL would continue as per the original schedule but without crowds,&quot; Naqvi told a press conference in Lahore.&nbsp;To stop fans travelling, the eight-team league has also been reduced to two venues, and not the original six, meaning Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan and Peshawar miss out.&nbsp;&quot;All PSL matches will now take place in Lahore and Karachi and we hope the league could be held with crowds but that would be contingent on the crisis in Iran ending,&quot; said Naqvi, who is also Pakistan&#39;s interior minister.&nbsp;&quot;I feel for the Peshawar crowds who were due to watch a match for the first time,&quot; said Naqvi.&nbsp;Naqvi said the PCB would compensate the franchise owners for the loss of revenue because of no crowds. The majority of gate money goes to the franchises.&nbsp;The 11th edition of PSL will run until May 3.

Cricket

Pakistan will hold the Pakistan Super League from March 26 as planned, but without crowds and only in Lahore and Karachi, due to a fuel crisis linked to Gulf tensions. Other cities were dropped, and teams will be compensated.

Pakistan's T20 cricket league cuts venues, crowds due to Gulf crisis

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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Super League&rsquo;s governing council has approved a major structural overhaul for the league&rsquo;s 11th season, replacing the long-standing player draft with a full-scale player auction model. This move marks the most significant reform in the PSL&rsquo;s history, signalling&nbsp;a decisive shift in its commercial and competitive direction. The Pakistan Cricket Board said the transition to an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/psl-auction-hyderabad-franchise-sells-for-a-record-61-million" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">auction system</a>, to be implemented from HBL PSL 11, is aimed at enhancing transparency, strengthening competitive balance and significantly expanding earning opportunities for players, as the league enters its second decade. Under the new framework, franchises will be allowed to retain only four players, with a maximum of one retention per category &mdash; a sharp reduction from the previous system that allowed up to eight retentions, alongside mentors, brand ambassadors and a Right to Match (RTM) option. All such provisions have now been scrapped. The overhaul fundamentally reshapes squad-building dynamics, forcing franchises to re-enter the market and bid competitively for top talent, rather than relying on long-term protections built into the draft system. Newly inducted teams will be permitted to pre-select and retain four players from the available pool before the auction, giving them a base to build competitive squads. In addition, each franchise will be allowed one direct signing of a foreign player who did not feature in PSL 10, opening the door for fresh international names and strategic recruitment. Franchises&#39; salary purse increased to $1.6M In another major decision with long-term financial implications, the governing council has approved an increase in the player salary purse to $1.6 million per franchise, reinforcing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pcb-invites-bids-for-multan-sultans-franchise-ahead-of-psl-11" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">PSL&rsquo;s ambition</a>&nbsp;to position itself as a more lucrative and globally attractive league for elite domestic and overseas cricketers. The PCB said the reforms reflect the league&rsquo;s evolving commercial maturity and its intent to align more closely with global franchise models, while maintaining its core objective of promoting high-quality cricket and fan engagement. HBL PSL 11 is scheduled to begin on 26 March 2026, with Faisalabad added as an additional host venue, marking the city&rsquo;s return to top-tier cricket and expanding the league&rsquo;s national footprint.Further details regarding the player auction mechanism, timelines and operational guidelines are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The move to an auction system is widely seen as a watershed moment for the PSL &mdash; one that could redefine franchise valuations, reshape competitive balance and alter the league&rsquo;s economic landscape ahead of its second decade.

PCB says the transition to an auction system, to be implemented from HBL PSL 11, is aimed at strengthening competitive balance and significantly expanding earning opportunities for players, as the league enters its second decade.

Articles tagged with "PSL"

Pakistan's T20 cricket league cuts venues, crowds due to Gulf crisis

Pakistan Super League approves player auction model for season 11

Pakistan's T20 cricket league cuts venues, crowds due to Gulf crisis