PSL Auction Explained – New Rules, New Teams & Huge Salary Caps
Congratulations to all Pakistanis because PSL 11 is going to be bigger and more explosive than the last ten years. PSL has said goodbye to the draft system and is now introducing the auction system, which is the real foundation for taking any league to the next level.
Also Check: PSL 2026 Auction
So what is the difference between these two systems? In this short explanation, you will understand everything.
PSL 2026 Auction Explained
First of all, this year PSL will have eight teams. The new teams from Sialkot and Hyderabad have been added. In the draft system, every player was placed into a category, and teams had to pick players from those fixed categories. You could not freely buy a player of your choice.
Now that the system is over.
In the auction system, players can earn much more money. If you like a player, for example, Glenn Maxwell, you can buy him by offering the amount he demands. This will attract more international players to PSL, and teams will become much stronger.
How Retention and Auction Will Work
Now, let’s understand how the auction system will work.
There are four main categories of players: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and others. Each team can retain only one player from each category. That means a maximum of four retained players. However, these categories will not be the same as last year.
For example, Lahore’s Platinum category previously included Sikandar Raza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Fakhar Zaman. Now Lahore can retain only one of these three players. The other two must be released and will go into the auction.
Similarly, one player can be retained from each category. The remaining players will go into the auction pool.
Before the auction begins, the two new teams, Sialkot and Hyderabad, will get a special opportunity. Since the older teams can retain up to four players, they may also choose to retain none. Any player released becomes available to the new teams first.
From each category, the two new teams can pick players before the auction. For example, if Lahore retains Shaheen Afridi, then Fakhar Zaman and Sikandar Raza become available. Sialkot and Hyderabad can pick one each from them before they go into the auction.
After this process, the remaining players go into the auction, where bidding takes place.
Every team has a purse of 45 crore Pakistani rupees. The retained players must also be paid from this 45 crore, and auction purchases will also come from this same purse.
For example, if Lahore spends 20 crore on four retained players, they will have 25 crore left to buy the remaining 15 to 16 players in the auction.
Future Changes and Bigger Opportunities
This system will work slightly differently this year because it is the first time. Teams requested that they be allowed to retain three to four players so they do not have to build completely new combinations. But from next year onward, the rules are expected to become stricter, where teams may only retain two or three players every season, and the rest must go into the auction.
Also, every year the purse is expected to increase. If it is 45 crore this year, it may become 50 or 60 crore in the coming seasons. This will increase player interest in PSL.
Previously, if PSL fixed a player’s category price at 2 crore, he would only be bought for 2 crore. Now, for example, if Glenn Maxwell or Steven Smith sets a base price of 2 crore, bidding can go to 13 or 14 crore. When players see such high bidding, they will definitely come to PSL and play fully because money attracts players.
Another very important step taken last year was scheduling PSL in the same window as the IPL. This means players who are not playing in the IPL will come to PSL. Since there is now an auction system and no other cricket happening at that time, many players will be available.
These decisions, ending the draft system, introducing the auction system, and scheduling PSL parallel to the IPL, are very strong steps. IPL has many teams but they cannot buy every player in the world, so many quality players will still be available for PSL.
PSL management deserves credit for this, especially Mohsin Naqvi. With the auction system, PSL is expected to become bigger and more grand.
