Former New Zealand cricketer Martin Guptill has hailed the Kingsmen (FKS) for securing their seventh Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise ahead of the league’s 11th season.
The new team, named Hyderabad, was bought during a major auction held at the Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad.
Guptill shared his excitement on Instagram, posting the story of the franchise owners receiving the team keys from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi with the caption: “How good is this Kingsmen Cricket USA”.
In a related development, Hamza Majeed-owned OZ Developers bagged the eighth PSL franchise during a star-studded auction.
FKS Group Rs. 1.75 billion ($6.25 million) after acquiring the first franchise, the base price for the second team is Rs. 1.70 billion, sparking a fierce bidding war among eight eligible bidders.
Mr. Majeed’s company eventually raised Rs. Winning the bid for 1.85 billion ($6.61 million), they acquired the rights to the new franchise named Sialkot. This marks the second biggest expansion in PSL history.
Multan Sultans were the first team to be added during the third season of the league, which increased the number of teams from five to six.
In the 11th edition of the PSL, two new franchises were introduced, increasing the total from six to eight teams.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 26 to May 3, 2026, promising another exciting season of cricket for fans in Pakistan and around the world.
Successful bidders were allowed to select their hometown from the PCB-approved list, which included Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit.
Following the landmark 10th edition of the marquee league, the PCB went through an evaluation process for the existing six franchises.
It offered contract renewals to their respective franchises, five of which signed extensions, apart from Multan Sultans, which is now controlled by the Cricket Board.
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