ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Super League (PSL), for the first time in its 11-year history, holds a player auction instead of the traditional draft ahead of the 2026 season. The tournament will also expand to eight teams with the addition of two new franchises, Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen and Sialkot Stallionz.

AUCTION UPDATE

- Faheem Ashraf was the first player to be auctioned, fetching a whopping Rs80.5 million.

- Australian batter David Warner was bought by Karachi Kings for Rs70.9 million.

- Riley Rossouw to Quetta Gladiators for Rs55.5 million.

- Nasim Shah to Rawalpindi for Rs86.5 million.

- Azam Khan to Karachi Kings for Rs35 million.

- Bangladeshi spinner Rashad Hussain joined Rawalpindi for Rs30 million.

- Mehran Mumtaz headed to Islamabad United for Rs12 million.

- Faisal Akram signed with Quetta Gladiators for Rs12 million.

- Daryl Mitchell was taken by Rawalpindi, and Max Bryant was kept by United after a betting battle with Zalmi.

PLAYERS UNSOLD

Imad Wasim, listed at a base price of Rs4.2 crore, remained unsold in the auction, while Hussain Talat, with a base price of Rs1.1 crore, also failed to attract a bid.

Several other players in the Rs1.2 crore base price bracket — including Mohammad Junaid, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Asif Afridi, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Zeeshan, Kyle Mayers, Colin Munro, Mohammad Riazullah, Umair bin Asif, Kamran Ghulam and George Munsey — likewise went unsold.

Retentions

Ahead of the auction, teams were allowed to retain up to four players, one each from the Platinum, Diamond, Gold, and Silver categories.

Each squad will be required to have 16 to 20 players, including at least five and up to seven overseas cricketers, along with a minimum of two uncapped under-23 players, one of whom must feature in every playing XI.

Players signed at the auction will be contracted for two years, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) plans a grand auction after the 2027 PSL.

Auction timing and live streaming

The PSL 2026 auction is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. local time (12 p.m. IST, 6:30 a.m. GMT). Fans can watch the auction live on the official PSL YouTube channel and the PCB’s YouTube page. Indian viewers can also access the live stream through a dedicated portal.

Retention list by team

Most franchises have confirmed their retained players ahead of the auction, except for Multan Sultans, which was sold on February 9 and will now be based in Rawalpindi.

Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza, Mohammad Naeem
Quetta Gladiators: Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Hasan Nawaz, Shamyl Hussain
Islamabad United: Shadab Khan, Salman Irshad, Andries Gous
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam, Sufyan Moqim, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza
Karachi Kings: Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Saad Baig
Sialkot Stallionz: Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood
Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen: Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Maaz Sadaqat, Akif Javed

Direct overseas signings

Several teams have secured international players ahead of the auction:

Islamabad United: Devon Conway
Karachi Kings: Moeen Ali
Lahore Qalandars: Mustafizur Rahman
Quetta Gladiators: Spencer Johnson
Sialkot Stallionz: Steve Smith
Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen: Marnus Labuschagne
Peshawar Zalmi: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (withdrawn)

The PSL 2026 auction promises to be a landmark event, setting the tone for an exciting season with expanded teams, new talents, and international stars.

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