PSL Auction Date
Lahore, January 25, 2026 — The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will also be experiencing a new phase since the first-ever HBL PSL Player Auction will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, and this is bound to become the first official change of the previous draft system.
The announcement was done after the end of a thorough workshop by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and HBL PSL CEO Salman Naseer, all the eight franchises, PSL officials, PCB representatives, and some of top national players attended the session.
Celebrity Performers Visit Early Workshop.
Some of the significant guests included the legends of the league Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman who are the top run-scorers in the league and the top wicket-takers Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi. The players of the T20 World Cup team of Pakistan and other capped players also participated in this, which kept the players at the center of the decision making group.
How the PSL Auction Will Work
At the workshop, the PSL management introduced the retention rules and the mechanics of the auction that were discussed and finalised after consulting with franchises and players.
Key decisions included:
Auction Date: February 11, 2026
Currency Bid: Pakistani Rupees (PKR)
Squad Size: 16 minimum, 20 maximum per franchise.
Foreigners: 5-7 in the team; 3-4 required in the playing line-up.
Rule Under-23: There must be at least two uncapped U23 players in the squad and one in the playing XI.
Player Base Prices Revealed
The starting bid prices in the auction have been fixed in four brackets:
PKR 4.2 crore (Top Bracket)
PKR 2.2 crore
PKR 1.1 crore
PKR 60 lakh
The minimum incremental bids will be different by category and will be PKR 250,000 and ascend to PKR 1.5 million, and franchises are not obliged not to raise their bid higher.
Retention Policy and Two-Year Contracts.
Any player being retained or bought in the PSL 11 Auction will be offered two year contracts. Following PSL 11, clubs can be retaining up to seven players in PSL 12.
After the completion of PSL 12, there will be a grand auction, where franchises are entitled to not more than five retentions, and all the released players will be brought back into the pool of participants of the auction.
Broadened League Signings and Foreign Player Signings.
Including two new franchises of Hyderabad and Sialkot each team will receive purse of PKR 45 crore, which can be increased to PKR 50.5 crore in case a foreign player is directly signed.
Every franchise has the right to directly sign a single player abroad who was not featured in PSL 10 and PCB will be also helping a franchise to attract top international players.
New Era Introduced by PCB Chairman.
The chairman of PCB Mohsin Naqvi termed the auction system as a breakthrough:
The Player Auction model is a revolutionary move toward the HBL PSL, which will provide players with a greater chance at financial success and establish an open and competitive process of recruiting players to the team.
HBL PSL CEO Salman Naseer had the same sentiments:
The New Era of the PSL is at last here. The auction system enhances fairness, transparency and market-driven value, enhancing the league to both the players, franchises and fans.
Read Also : Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad
Final Word
HBL PSL Player Auction on February 11, 2026, is also among the most important in the history of the league. PSL 11 will be the most competitive one to date with improved salaries, an open bidding process, and bigger teams.
