The Pakistan Super League has confirmed its player retention deadlines ahead of the PSL 11 Player Auction, with the two new franchises getting extra time to lock in their initial squads.
According to the latest update, the new teams, Sialkot Stallionz and Hyderabad, must submit their final list of four players by February 6. The PSL 11 Player Auction is scheduled for February 11.
PSL’s six existing franchises have an earlier cutoff. They can retain one player in each of four categories by February 3. Any player not retained by that date will be released into the pool.
Those released names can then become available for the two new franchises, who are also allowed to secure one player per category to build their core group before the auction.
The key point: Sialkot and Hyderabad have been given two additional days compared to the existing teams. That gap is expected to help the newcomers make more informed choices, especially once the older franchises finalize their retentions.
This timeline also ties into a major change for PSL 11. For the first time since the league launched in 2016, the PCB has permitted direct signings, which means the new franchises can pick from the released players to form a base before the auction begins.
With the six-team deadline coming first, Sialkot and Hyderabad can see which players enter the market and then decide how to shape their initial four-player list accordingly.
The retention update also follows the PCB’s announcement of category renewals for 89 national cricketers currently linked with the six existing franchises, a move that affects how teams plan their retention choices and budget strategy.
