The Pakistan Super League has taken a landmark step ahead of PSL 11, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) deciding to introduce a player auction for the first time in the league’s history, moving away from the draft-based recruitment model used in previous seasons.
The development follows days of discussion within the PSL setup, where the league had been weighing three routes: sticking with the traditional draft, shifting fully to an auction, or adopting a hybrid system informally dubbed a “drauction.”
With the latest decision, PSL is set to try an auction format similar in concept to how franchises are bought and sold, but applied to player selection.
The idea was pushed during a high-level meeting of the PSL Governing Council held at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore and chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Representatives of all eight franchises, along with senior PCB and PSL officials, were present as the league mapped out a new framework for an expanded tournament.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Naqvi also urged franchise owners to raise player payments, arguing that as the commercial value of teams has climbed, especially after the addition of two new franchises from Sialkot and Hyderabad, player remuneration should increase as well.
He also emphasized that the league must ensure the two new teams receive fair access to talent, a point that had complicated retention talks for existing sides.
The auction decision comes as the league enters a major transition phase. PSL 11 will be the first season featuring eight teams, and officials have already confirmed the tournament will begin on March 26.
Retention rules and other roster-related matters are expected to be finalized through follow-up discussions, including recommendations from a working group formed to resolve remaining agenda items.
With a player auction now set to be part of PSL’s next chapter, the league is positioning the upcoming season as a “new era”—one that could reshape how squads are built and how players are valued across the competition.
