The Pakistan Super League has abandoned its longstanding draft system in favor of a first-ever full player auction for the 2026 season, a structural overhaul that also saw Mohammad Rizwan released by Multan Sultans after a four-year stint and growing the league to eight franchises with the additions of Hyderabad and Sialkot Stallionz.
What actually changed
Under the new rules, each of the league’s franchises can retain only four players — one from each of four defined categories — and the right-to-match option that previously let teams reclaim auctioned players has been scrapped entirely. The overseas-player rules were also loosened: each franchise can now directly sign one overseas player who did not feature in the 2025 season, giving teams a route to bring in fresh international talent outside the auction room. The total salary purse rose to $1.6 million per side, a meaningful increase designed to accommodate the new auction dynamics.
The headline casualty: Rizwan’s release
Mohammad Rizwan’s exit from Multan Sultans, where he spent four years and helped anchor the franchise’s batting and wicketkeeping, was among the most notable outcomes of the retention process — a reminder that auction-driven restructuring inevitably produces departures from clubs that fans had come to associate with specific long-tenured players. Islamabad United faced similarly difficult choices, releasing players including Naseem Shah and Azam Khan as the franchise reshaped its roster under the tighter four-player retention cap. By contrast, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Abrar Ahmed were all retained by their respective sides, preserving some continuity of star power even amid the broader shake-up.
Why the PCB made the switch
Moving from a draft — where player allocation followed a more structured, board-influenced process — to an open auction shifts bargaining power toward player value as determined by competitive bidding rather than administrative assignment. The Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision mirrors a model the IPL has used for years, suggesting PCB leadership views auction dynamics as better for generating fan interest and giving franchises more direct control over roster-building, even at the cost of breaking up established team cores like Multan’s.
New teams enter an already crowded field
Hyderabad and Sialkot Stallionz joining as the league’s seventh and eighth franchises expands PSL significantly, each allowed to pick and retain four players from the available pool ahead of the main auction — giving the new entrants a head start on squad construction rather than forcing them to build entirely from the open auction floor. Growing the league by 33% in franchise count is a significant bet on PSL’s continued commercial growth, though it also dilutes the available talent pool across more teams, a tension auction-based systems in other leagues have grappled with as they’ve expanded.
What’s next
The full PSL 2026 auction was scheduled for February 11, where remaining players — including those released like Rizwan and Naseem Shah — will go under the hammer to the league’s now eight franchises. How the new retention and overseas-signing rules reshape competitive balance will become clearer once full squads are finalized and the season begins, with reports of specific marquee auction purchases, including a reported high-value signing by Rawalpindi, still being confirmed through official league channels.
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