LAHORE: Pakistan Super League (PSL) management committee is scheduled to hold an important meeting on Thursday, sources said. Jio News On Sunday.

This will be the first meeting following the addition of two new franchises, bringing the total number of teams to eight. The session is expected to be held approx.

Sources say that many important issues related to the 11th series will be discussed.

Key topics include player retention, player draft, auction related matters and match schedule. Discussions will include increasing player salaries and finalizing direct signings.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly aiming to start PSL 11 on March 23 instead of the already proposed March 26.

Sources added that the timing of the sports parade could pose challenges due to Eid celebrations. It is expected that the franchise representatives will be consulted about the start date of the league.

Meanwhile, following strong valuations on the recent sale of the two new teams, sources say PCB is bidding for the Multan Sultans franchise.

Last month, PCB announced that it will take over Multan Sultans after its ownership contract expires on 31 December 2025.

Under the plan, the board would operate the franchise for one year before putting it up for auction in 2027.

If implemented, the arrangement is expected to save the PCB $4 million a year as it does not need to provide $3 million from the central committee or $1 million in sponsorship funds.

However, an audit report noted that the board would waive $8.5 million in franchise fees for that year.

In November, Multan Sultan owner Ali Dareen announced on social media that he was stepping down from the franchise.

Sources indicate that relations between Tareen and the PCB had soured over the past year and eventually reached a point of no return.

Multan Sultans were originally offered to the Schon Group as the sixth PSL team under a $5.2 million deal, making them the most expensive franchise at the time—more than double the acquisition cost of Karachi Kings, which was $2.6 million.

The decision to bid for the team brought the total number of teams in PSL 11 to eight as the PCB received strong valuations from the sale of two new franchises, Hyderabad and Sialkot.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi during a media conference on December 28 confirmed that the board will run Multan Sultans for the upcoming 11th edition of PSL scheduled from March 26 to May 3, 2026 before starting the bidding process.

“Multan Sultans will be run by the PCB this year. Once the PSL is over, we will conduct an auction and put the franchise up for sale. This season, the board will run the Sultans,” Naqvi said.

He also said that an interim administrative structure would be appointed soon.

“We will appoint an acting captain to oversee the team in the next eight to ten days. A professional cricketer will also be roped in to manage Multan Sultans for this season,” he said.

The PSL, which started with five teams in 2016 and expanded to six in 2018, is set to grow further with the addition of two new franchises for its 11th edition.

In a historic auction held at the Jinnah Convention Center on Thursday, FKS Group and OZ Developers acquired the ownership of the Hyderabad and Sialkot franchises for Rs1.75 billion and Rs1.85 billion respectively.

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