PSL 2026 set to take place between March 26 and May 3

[Ball Blazer]

PCB Chairman announces HBL PSL 11 window

Chairman PCB Syed Mohsin Naqvi announced the official window for the 11th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (HBL PSL). The HBL PSL 11 is scheduled to take place from 26 March to 3 May, 2026.

The confirmation of the HBL PSL 11 window marks a significant milestone as preparations intensify for the league’s next phase of expansion. The Pakistan Cricket Board will also host the New Teams Auction on 8 January, 2026 at the Islamabad Convention Centre, where the rights for two new HBL PSL franchises will be offered. The auction will be broadcasted, providing transparency and global visibility to prospective investors and cricket fans worldwide.

The HBL PSL continues to attract strong international interest, reflecting the league’s growing commercial strength, expanding global footprint and long-term growth potential. Recent engagements with global stakeholders have underlined confidence in the league’s business model and its positioning among the world’s leading T20 competitions.

Recognised for its high-quality cricket, competitive balance and role in developing elite international talent, the HBL PSL has firmly established itself as a premier global T20 league

 

[Ball Blazer]

Will clash with IPL.

 

[Kianig89]

Weather wise that ideal time to play, BTW what's the update on 2 x new franchise and Multan fiasco

 

[Savak]

This means the PCB is going to go for the group format with 4 teams in each group rather than every team playing each other twice home and away. That is not good news for the franchises from commercial sponsorship point of view.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

This means the PCB is going to go for the group format with 4 teams in each group rather than every team playing each other twice home and away. That is not good news for the franchises from commercial sponsorship point of view.

I don’t think it’ll be just two closed groups.

That’s just 24 group games combined for both groups, lesser than the 30 group games you currently get for the 6 team group format. You can’t sell less sports content w/ more teams.

I think they’ll do it NFL style, where you play everybody in your group and then play teams in the other group once. That gives you a total of 40 group games combined, which the PCB should manage. Between 5 venues that’s 8 games each, which is doable.

Having a one group of 8 teams means 56 group games. I don’t think that Pakistan have the stadia to justify 56 games.

 

[Ball Blazer]

The likely format as per sources:

In the first phase, each team will play against every other team once

- In the second phase, teams will be divided into two groups

- Top 2 team from each group will qualify for the playoffs

- Each team will still play a minimum of 10 matches in the season

PCB remains to confirm this.

 

[Vikram1989]

The likely format as per sources:

In the first phase, each team will play against every other team once

- In the second phase, teams will be divided into two groups

- Top 2 team from each group will qualify for the playoffs

- Each team will still play a minimum of 10 matches in the season

PCB remains to confirm this.

So its 8 teams
First round 28 matches
Second round 6 matches
2 sf plus 1 final

Total -- 37 matches in 39 days

 

[Rana]

So you’ve basically given 6 weeks to add 3 new teams/owners and redesign the entire squads


The draft for the new teams has taken too long.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Several high-profile international players including Daryl Mitchell, Dasun Shanaka, Tom Banton, Jordan Cox, Josh Inglis, Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, and Adam Milne went unsold, giving PSL franchises names to keep a close eye on moving forward.

 

[PakFan2010]

Several high-profile international players including Daryl Mitchell, Dasun Shanaka, Tom Banton, Jordan Cox, Josh Inglis, Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, and Adam Milne went unsold, giving PSL franchises names to keep a close eye on moving forward.

Auction isn't over.

Inglis and Cox have just been sold.

 

[Rana]

I’m not convinced with this new model

You could practically lose all your first round games,

Then win 2 out of 3 second round games and you could be in the play offs!

That’s rubbish!

 

[Savak]

Some interesting explanations coming from the PCB as to why they are not going for 60-70 games with every team playing each other in a home and away format given that there will now be 8 teams in the PSL and instead are sticking to 44 games maximum in a 5-6 week window i.e. the Pakistani advertising, broadcast market is very small and limited and broadcasters can only afford to pay a certain amount no matter how good the product is, broadcasters and advertisers have to allocate their budgets for other events during the year as well i.e. Ramzan, Eid, Pakistani Drama, Entertainment industry and they can only afford to spend a certain amount on cricket, hence why the PSL broadcast deal will not be dependent on the number of games held but it will be a overall package deal, whether PSL hosts 40 games or 70 games, the Pakistani broadcasters cannot afford to pay more than a certain amount hence why it is not cost effective for the PCB to increase the number of games, the PCB also fears that a longer tournament might lead to fatigue, saturation and lack of interest.

 

[Fenrir]

Will clash with IPL.

Doesn’t matter if it clashes with IPL.

 

[Katwalindian]

Auction isn't over.

Inglis and Cox have just been sold.

Banton, ngidi, Milne also sold..nothing left

 

[PakFan2010]

Banton, ngidi, Milne also sold..nothing left

Stokes, Brook and Jamie Smith

 

[Rana]

Oh bhai cancel this window ASAP

Total flop show awaits if this goes ahead!

 

[Katwalindian]

Stokes, Brook and Jamie Smith

They will not get NOC...

 

[Katwalindian]

Oh bhai cancel this window ASAP

Total flop show awaits if this goes ahead!

right from heart...... ...

 

[Katwalindian]

Oh bhai cancel this window ASAP

Total flop show awaits if this goes ahead!

Why cancel? Reason?

 

[Ball Blazer]

The following England players are likely to be available for PSL.

Adil Rashid
Alex Hales
James Vince
Sam Billings
Jonny Bairstow
Richard Gleeson
Dan Lawrence
Tom Curran
Joe Clarke
Laurie Evans
Max Holden
Adam Hose
Tom Abell
Dan Mousley
Will Smeed
Jafer Chohan

Note: Some of them have county contracts too

 

[RexRex]

The following England players are likely to be available for PSL.

Adil Rashid
Alex Hales
James Vince
Sam Billings
Jonny Bairstow
Richard Gleeson
Dan Lawrence
Tom Curran
Joe Clarke
Laurie Evans
Max Holden
Adam Hose
Tom Abell
Dan Mousley
Will Smeed
Jafer Chohan

Note: Some of them have county contracts too

Who is the highest paid cricketer in the PSL ?

 

[Kianig89]

March 26 is the date, and it's Dec 16 still no update regarding what will the two franchises be ? And the future of Multan.

 

[Savak]

A lot of fans and sports reporters have panicked given the IPL signings and the lack of quality available for the PSL. They are appealing to the PCB to shift the PSL window to September October as going head to head against the IPL is not a viable long term strategy.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

The following England players are likely to be available for PSL.

Adil Rashid
Alex Hales
James Vince
Sam Billings
Jonny Bairstow
Richard Gleeson
Dan Lawrence
Tom Curran
Joe Clarke
Laurie Evans
Max Holden
Adam Hose
Tom Abell
Dan Mousley
Will Smeed
Jafer Chohan

Note: Some of them have county contracts too

First 5 are worth picking

Not much to see after that

 

[BouncerGuy]

PCB needs to wake up. PSL is not getting that much hype atm.

 

[Katwalindian]

First 5 are worth picking

Not much to see after that

The likes of Alex hales, James vince already playing...

 

[hassan918]

First 5 are worth picking

Not much to see after that

Tom Curran and Laurie Evans are also decent.

 

[TeymurBlake]

The following England players are likely to be available for PSL.

Adil Rashid
Alex Hales
James Vince
Sam Billings
Jonny Bairstow
Richard Gleeson
Dan Lawrence
Tom Curran
Joe Clarke
Laurie Evans
Max Holden
Adam Hose
Tom Abell
Dan Mousley
Will Smeed
Jafer Chohan

Note: Some of them have county contracts too

There are some decent players there.

The problem is, many of the unknown players if there are picked, will use the PSL as a platform for the IPL.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Tom Curran and Laurie Evans are also decent.

Laurie Evans, sure. Tom Curran though is one of the most overrated franchise specialists going around

 

[RidiculousMan]

Laurie Evans, sure. Tom Curran though is one of the most overrated franchise specialists going around

A few players that caught my eye in ILT20 and BBL;

Dan Lawrence (Clever batting in middle order)
Shayan Jahangir (Can't believe he is still under the radar. WK and a player who can open and bat in middle)
Khuzaima Tanveer (Decent fast bowler with swing and death bowling skill, plus an aggressive hitter)
Ben McDermott (Put on some muscle and has been clearing boundaries with ease)
Josh Philippe (Technically sound top order batter and WK that has been in good nick)

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

A few players that caught my eye in ILT20 and BBL;

Dan Lawrence (Clever batting in middle order)
Shayan Jahangir (Can't believe he is still under the radar. WK and a player who can open and bat in middle)
Khuzaima Tanveer (Decent fast bowler with swing and death bowling skill, plus an aggressive hitter)
Ben McDermott (Put on some muscle and has been clearing boundaries with ease)
Josh Philippe (Technically sound top order batter and WK that has been in good nick)

I like McDermott and Philippe. Not so impressed by Shayan Jahangir based on what I've seen of him for USA. Dan Lawrence is too inconsistent for my liking. He had the same issues while playing for England too eventhough he can play the odd blinder every now and then.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Foreign Players' Registration Opens for Historic Eight-Team HBL PSL 11

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is pleased to announce that the foreign player registration window for the 11th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) is now officially open.

As the league enters a historic new era of expansion, cricketing talent from around the world is welcome to join for what promises to be the biggest season yet. With the addition of two new franchises, the league has expanded to eight teams, creating significantly more roster spots and earning opportunities for international players.

Agents and independent players are encouraged to complete their registration before 20 January, 2026 deadline to be included in the Player Pool.

The HBL PSL, which began in 2016, will feature eight teams competing in the 11th edition of the marquee event. Two new teams will be auctioned in Islamabad on 8 January, with the auction to be broadcast live.

PCB

 

[laptopexpert]

Given some of the players which have been picked by IPL who were PSL mainstays, I won’t be surprised if it was some kind of instruction from IPL to select those players to keep them from PSL and make foreign contingent of PSL even worse. Can’t even think of a few players who would be good picks

 

[Katwalindian]

Given some of the players which have been picked by IPL who were PSL mainstays, I won’t be surprised if it was some kind of instruction from IPL to select those players to keep them from PSL and make foreign contingent of PSL even worse. Can’t even think of a few players who would be good picks

Dan Lawrence, samit Patel, alex hales, Laurie Evans, junior dala, sipamla, baartman, linde, hardie, matt renshaw, Turner, wiese, Conway, Liton das, shakib etc

 

[Kianig89]

A ground breaking marquee signing this is where PSL struggles they've had to make effort to land an A lister even for 4/5 games

 

[Katwalindian]

A ground breaking marquee signing this is where PSL struggles they've had to make effort to land an A lister even for 4/5 games

No A lister is remaining..everyone is sold...