The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again extended the deadline for submitting bids for two more franchises, as it seeks to expand the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to an eight-team tournament beginning with the 2026 season. The original deadline of December 15 was postponed to December 22 and has now been pushed even further to December 24 for final bid submission.
Previously, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi indicated that the extension was granted due to increased interest from possible investors based in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. According to a Geo Super report, the latest extension of two days was permitted due to bank holidays happening on the weekend within the amended bidding period.
“The last date for submitting initial bids is now extended by two days,” a source said as quoted by Times of India.
“Witnessing growing interest from Europe, the USA, the Middle East and beyond in acquiring new HBL PSL teams, we have decided to extend the bid submission deadline by one week to 22 December 2025,” Naqvi said during the PSL roadshow.
The player auction for PSL 11 is scheduled to take place on January 8.
It had already been delayed by a day when PCB chairman first extended the franchise bid deadline, and it remains unclear whether the auction date will be pushed further following the latest extension for bid submissions.
This marks the second expansion of the league since its inception in 2016, when the PSL began as a five-team tournament. The previous expansion came in 2018, with the addition of a sixth team. Along with plans to introduce two new franchises, the PCB has also renewed contracts with five of the six existing franchise owners.
Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounds the future of Multan Sultans after former owner Ali Tareen stepped down following differences with the board. Unofficially, the PCB is considering managing the franchise itself for the upcoming season before re-tendering the ownership rights on a nine-year term ahead of PSL 12.
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