PSL franchises sign players through five routes: the auction, a direct signing, retention, pre-selection by new franchises and the emerging-player category. Until 2025 they picked in a draft instead of an auction. The PCB has not said which routes continue for PSL 12, except that an auction is set for 23 January 2027 with a direct-signing window before it.
Last checked 27 October 2026.
What are the ways a PSL team can sign a player?
| Route | How it works | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Auction | Franchises bid from a base price of PKR 0.6, 1.1, 2.2 or 4.2 crore within a PKR 45 crore purse | PSL 11 (11 February 2026); PSL 12 on 23 January 2027 |
| Direct signing | A franchise signs one overseas player outside the auction; in PSL 11 the player had not played the previous season and the purse rose to PKR 50.5 crore | PSL 11; PSL 12 window 23 October to 23 November 2026, one marquee player each |
| Retention | A franchise keeps players before the auction, up to four in PSL 11, one per category, by mutual agreement | PSL 11 (up to eight in the 2025 draft) |
| Pre-selection by new franchises | Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindiz could choose up to four players each before the auction | PSL 11 only |
| Emerging category | Under-23 players nominated by regions and franchises; a franchise must field an emerging player in the XI under the 2022 rules | Since the 2016 draft rules |
The draft, which ran from 2016 to the PSL 10 draft in Lahore on 13 January 2025, is described in auction vs draft in the auction rules guide. Under it franchises picked in turn from categories (Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging) and could add a retired international as a player-mentor, whose mentor value was added to his pay.
Who decides a player’s category?
The PCB publishes the local-player categories before each edition: for PSL 10 it renewed 87 players, 13 of them Platinum, and the PSL 11 list gave 16 Platinum names. A draft-day report said franchises voted on local players’ categories, could not vote on their own players, and sent split votes to a final committee. We do not know the criteria, and we have not found the pay for each category. The full lists are on the draft categories page.
What should a player or fan watch for in PSL 12?
| Step | Status on 27 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Direct signings | Window open from 23 October to 23 November 2026 |
| Retention deadline and trade window | Not yet announced |
| Auction | Confirmed for 23 January 2027 |
| Purse, base prices and squad limits | Not yet announced |
Each step is tracked on the PSL 12 page, the PSL 12 auction page and the direct signings page. The rules in force last season are on the auction rules page and the squad composition page, and the money side is on salary and purse.
Sources: PCB (2016 draft rules), Wisden, Samaa, Geo and Wikipedia. Method: methodology and data sources.