PSL Player Auction: Rules, Timings, & Where to Watch

For the first time in the league’s history, Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises will acquire players through an auction rather than a draft this season. Nearly 900 local and overseas players have registered for the auction across four categories, based on base prices: PKR 42 million, PKR 22 million, PKR 11 million and PKR 6 million.

FAQs – PSL Player Auction

When and where to watch the PSL Player Auction?

The PSL player auction will begin at 11:30 AM (Pakistan Standard Time) on February 11 and will be broadcast and live-streamed across several platforms, including:

• A Sports
• PTV Sports
• FAST Sports
• PSL YouTube Channel
• PCB YouTube Channel

How many players can each team buy from the auction?

Each team must have a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 20 players, which includes five pre-auction picks (four retentions and one direct signing). Barring Islamabad United, which retained only three players, and Rawalpindi, which could not make a direct signing, all other teams filled their pre-auction slots.

This means most teams will buy between 11 and 15 players at the auction.

Can a team pick all local players?

No. Teams must pick either five or seven foreign players, depending on squad size. In addition, each franchise must include at least two uncapped Under-23 players in the squad.

For how long will auctioned players remain with a franchise?

Once included, either through retention or the auction, players will remain part of the franchise under a two-year contract until the conclusion of PSL 12.

After PSL 12, all but a maximum of five retentions per team will be released into the player pool for a grand auction.

What’s the salary purse for each team?

It depends. Teams with no direct signing will have a purse of PKR 450 million. On the other hand, teams with a pre-auction direct signing will have their purse increased to PKR 505 million.

However, each franchise must spend at least PKR 365 million of its total salary purse.

How much higher can teams go from the base price to secure a player?

There is no upper limit, as long as the bid fits within the team’s salary purse. However, the minimum bid increment will be according to the following rules:

• If the bid is below PKR 11 million, each new bid must increase by at least PKR 250,000.
• If the bid is below PKR 22 million, the increase must be at least PKR 500,000.
• If the bid is below PKR 42 million, the increase must be at least PKR 1,000,000.
• Once the bidding crosses PKR 42 million, every new bid must increase by at least PKR 1,500,000.

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