Lahore, November 20, 2025 – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday refuted media reports claiming that the city names for two new Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises had already been finalized.
In a statement, the PCB clarified that the winning bidders will have the right to select a team name from a pool of cities previously shared by the board. The shortlisted options include Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit.
“The PCB is pleased to see growing interest in acquiring franchise rights for two new teams for upcoming editions of the PSL,” the statement added.
PSL Chief Executive Officer, Salman Naseer, had earlier announced that an auction would be held for the two new franchises during the 11th edition of the tournament. “Bidding parties will be given a pool of city names from which they can select one team,” he told reporters in Karachi on October 29.
The PCB issued a public advertisement for tendering of team franchise rights on November 15, 2025, inviting bids from interested parties worldwide. The deadline for submission of Technical Proposals is set for 15 December 2025 at 11:00 AM.
The board emphasized that any information from sources other than the official PCB communication should not be considered official. The clarification comes as part of PCB’s ongoing efforts to maintain transparency in the franchise acquisition process and ensure a smooth expansion of the HBL PSL.