PSL 11 Auction Rules: Retention purse and direct signings - Explained

The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced radical changes, which are one of the biggest structural changes in the league's history, just ahead of the 11th season of the Pakistan Super League.

The PSL, which has been operating under a player draft model for ten seasons, will now move to a player auction system, starting from PSL 11. The change is intended to increase transparency, make the competitive balance stronger, and also to provide the players with better earning opportunities.

Salman Naseer, the CEO of PSL, stated that the changes are indicative of the league’s desire to grow and keep up with the times as well as to be among the best T20 tournaments of the world. “The PSL will now migrate from a draft process to a players auction system which will no doubt increase transparency and also make the competitive balance of teams,” Naseer stated, further adding that the new model will also enable players to earn close to their actual market value.

Changes of retention rules, scrapping of old systems

One of the changes that has the most significant impact is the player retention rules modification. Each team will now be able to keep up to four players, and only one player will be allowed in each category.

This is a significant change from the previous years, when teams had the option to keep a maximum of eight players, hire mentors and brand ambassadors, and even use the Right to Match (RTM) option to retain a ninth player. For PSL 11, the PCB has completely done away with the mentor role, brand ambassador system, and RTM option, thereby making squad-building easier and quicker before the auction.

Enhancement for new teams and foreign players

In order to maintain the competitive balance, the new franchises will be allowed to select and keep four players from the available pool before the auction. This will be a big help for the new teams in that they will get a strong core staff before they enter the bidding.

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Moreover, each franchise can sign one foreign player directly who had not played in the previous season of PSL. This is expected to bring new international faces into the league and increase the interest of the spectators even more.

Player purse amount raised to USD 1.6 million

In addition to that, the PCB has raised the player salary fund to USD 1.6 million for every franchise, which was previously USD 1.3 million. The hike in the salary fund signifies the PSL’s decision to reward player performance and draw in the best domestic and foreign cricketers.

Faisalabad re-emerges as PSL venue

PSL 11 is slated to kick off on 26 March 2026, and the PCB has announced that Faisalabad would be included as an official venue. The addition brings the city back into the spotlight of elite cricket and increases the league's national reach.

With an auction-based system, large financial backs, easier rules, and new venues, PSL 11 is turning out to be a landmark season that could set a new trend in fashioning the teams as well as valuing the players in the T20 competition of Pakistan, the premier one.