HYDERABAD, JAN 8: The Pakistan Super League expanded to eight teams on Thursday as Hyderabad and Sialkot were officially confirmed as the PSL’s seventh and eighth franchises following the completion of the expansion auction ahead of the upcoming season.
All 10 qualified bidders competed fiercely, placing massive bids for the new team. The FKS group owned by Fawad Sarwar emerged as the winner by offering Rs1.75 billion, successfully leading the auction and taking the helm of one of the two new franchises.
This marks the second major expansion in the league’s history.
Previously, Multan Sultans became the first team to be added during the third season of the PSL, increasing the number of teams from five to six.
With this year’s historic 11th edition, two additional teams have been introduced, taking the total from six to eight franchises.
The 11th edition of the PSL is all set to take place from March 26 to May 3, promising another thrilling season of cricket for fans across Pakistan and beyond.
With seven teams already confirmed, nine qualified bidders will compete with even higher bids to secure the rights to the eighth and final team, completing the league’s expansion.
For the unversed, successful bidders were allowed to select a home city from a PCB-approved list that included Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit.
PSL expansion
Following the landmark 10th edition of the marquee league, the PCB carried out a valuation process for the existing six franchises. It offered contract renewals to their respective owners, out of which five signed the extension, with the exception of Multan Sultans, which has now been taken under control by the cricket board.
To explore international investors, the PSL hosted two roadshows at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London and in New York, and received unprecedented interest, receiving bids from 12 parties from five different continents.
In a brief statement, the cricket board shared that investors from the United States of America (USA), Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan expressed their interest in acquiring the franchises up for sale.
Last month, the cricket board’s Bid Committee “thoroughly” evaluated the proposals made by 12 parties from five different continents, and after a three-day-long scrutiny, shortlisted 10 bidders, who were found to have met the technical criteria and qualified for the second stage.
However, at the 11th hour, Tareen Group announced to pull out of the auction, bringing the number of qualified bidders to nine.
The shortlisted bidders include OZ Developers, Aim Next inc, Deharki Sugar Mills, FKS, Inverex, i2c, Jazz, Prism Developers, VGO Tel and Walee Technologies.
