Pakistan's premium T20 league, the Pakistan Super League, will soon implement the auction system for its franchises to acquire players.
The PSL, which started in 2016, has been using the draft system to sign players up until now. But the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to overhaul the system ahead of the league's 2026 edition.
The PCB, in a statement issued on its website, said that the new system "is aimed at enhancing competitive balance, increasing transparency, and providing players greater earning opportunities".
Under the auction system, the eight franchisees will be allocated $1.6 million each, to sign the players. The tournament is being expanded to eight teams this year onwards with the inclusion of franchisees from Hyderabad and Sialkot.
Other changes in the league's player acquisition system include:
- Each franchise may retain a maximum of four players, limited to one player per category. Previously, every franchise was allowed to retain eight players from their squad, including a mentor, a brand ambassador and a right-to-match option to retain a ninth player in the player Draft.
- The rules pertaining to mentors, brand ambassadors and RTM have been abolished.
- Newly inducted teams will be allowed to select and retain four players from the available player pool before the player auction.
- Each franchise will also be allowed one direct signing of a foreign player who did not feature in 10th edition of the PSL, enabling teams to strategically strengthen their squads with fresh international talent.
This year's PSL will get underway on March 26. Lahore Qalandars are the defending champions of the league.
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