The ILT20 is a six-team league in the UAE owned by groups including Knight Riders Group, GMR, Adani and Reliance, while the PSL has eight Pakistan-based franchises. The ILT20 allows up to nine overseas players in an XI against three to four in the PSL, and its first auction in 2025-26 gave each team up to US$800,000 to spend at auction.
Last checked 26 October 2026.
How do the PSL and ILT20 compare?
| Item | PSL | ILT20 |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | 8 (2026) | 6 |
| Owners | Eight Pakistani franchise owners, including Walee Technologies and Fawad Rana | Knight Riders Group, Lancer Capital, GMR Group, Adani Group, Reliance Industries and Capri Global Holdings |
| First season | 2016 | 2023 (13 January to 12 February) |
| Latest season | 26 March to 3 May 2026 | 2 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 |
| Recruitment | Auction in PSL 11, after draft years | First auction for 2025-26 |
| Budget | PKR 45 crore purse | Up to US$800,000 at auction within a US$1.5 to 2 million squad budget |
| Overseas players in the XI | 3 to 4 | Up to 9 |
| Local requirement | At least one uncapped under-23 player in the XI (PSL 11) | At least one UAE player and one Associate Member player |
| Media rights | PKR 26.11 billion, 2026 to 2029 | Zee Entertainment, 2023 to 2032, reportedly US$120 million |
| Latest final | Peshawar Zalmi won by 5 wickets | Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 46 runs (182/4 to 136) |
The ILT20 page gives conflicting dates in places, including the auction year (2025 or 2026) and a next season window of 22 November to 20 December 2026, so we show only dates that appear consistently.
How do the budgets compare?
The ILT20 lets each team spend up to US$800,000 at auction within an overall squad budget of US$1.5 to 2 million. Wisden converted the PSL 11 purse of PKR 45 crore to about US$1.6 million. The sources define the two figures differently, so they should not be ranked against each other.
What stands out?
The biggest structural difference is the overseas allowance: nine of eleven players in an ILT20 XI can be overseas, while a PSL XI needs three to four. The ILT20 also names specific local categories (a UAE player and an Associate Member player), whereas the PSL’s local rule in PSL 11 was the uncapped under-23 player. Ownership differs too: the ILT20 teams are owned by large Indian and international groups, as listed on its Wikipedia page, while the PSL’s eight franchises are held by Pakistani companies and individuals; see the team owners page.
Read the other comparisons on the comparison hub, including PSL vs IPL and PSL vs BBL.