Franchise owners will have right to match new team valuation or walk away, says PSL CEO Salman Naseer
With the revaluation of the existing six Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises set to complete, the current team owners will have the right to match it to retain their ownership or walk away, the league’s chief operating officer Salman Naseer said on Wednesday.
Independent auditors Ernst & Young (EY) are to deliver the final valuation report this week, Salman confirmed, setting a new benchmark price for a 10-year extension.
“Once it’s ready, each franchise that’s in full compliance with its contractual obligations will be presented with the new valuation figures,” Salman said during a press conference at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
“Under their existing agreements, they’ll have the first right of renewal for the next 10 editions based on that valuation.
“After that, if any franchise chooses not to renew, those team rights will be offered through an open process, where new investors can come in under the updated structure.”
The valuation’s completion dovetails with the PSL’s most ambitious structural shift yet: expansion to eight teams starting with the next edition.
Two new franchises will be awarded through an open auction, Salman revealed, with bidders selecting from a PCB-curated “pool of cities” to ensure balanced geographical representation.
“Interest is already overwhelming,” he said, sidestepping questions on base prices but indicating a floor “significantly higher” than historical benchmarks.
Salman confirmed that PSL has been registered under as a separate entity under the Pakistan Cricket Board umbrella, designed to provide “dedicated resources and undivided attention” without duplicating the parent body’s expertise.
“The debate is ongoing at the Board of Governors,” he noted. “How much autonomy versus synergy? The goal is simple: let the PSL scale while staying integrated where it counts.”
The press conference, however, could not escape the lingering controversy surrounding Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen, whose public accusations of mismanagement, selective leaks, and valuation opacity have dominated social media and fractured fan sentiment.
Salman addressed the issue directly but succinctly after fielding expansion queries, his tone measured yet unyielding.
“This is a family matter,” he stated. “It will be resolved in boardrooms and, if needed, legally.”
To a follow-up on whether the PSL’s relative silence was ceding narrative ground to Tareen, potentially damaging the league’s image among fans, Salman replied: “You’re asking me to fight fire with fire. I won’t. Leaking documents, public mudslinging—that’s not how we operate. This league has survived exile, Covid, and worse. It has its own momentum now. It will go on—with or without any individual.”
Meanwhile, Salman revealed that the HBL, the PSL title sponsor for its first decade, has extended its agreement for two more years at an increase of 505 per cent to the inaugural deal in 2016.
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PSL CEO Salman Naseer has revealed the top four cities for new PSL teams. (Geo News)
