PSL 11 player draft likely to be delayed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) player draft, widely expected to take place on January 30, is now likely to be delayed after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) set the same date as the deadline for submission of technical bids for the Multan Sultans franchise, sources in the industry said on Wednesday.

According to industry reports and franchise sources, January 30 had been informally locked in for the PSL player draft, with teams preparing recruitment strategies and shortlists ahead of the event. However, the PCB’s latest advertisement inviting bids for the sale of Multan Sultans has complicated the timeline, raising serious questions over whether the draft can proceed as planned.

The PCB has invited interested parties to submit technical proposals for the Multan Sultans franchise by January 30, after which only technically qualified bidders will move to the next stage of the process. Sources say it would be “procedurally difficult” for the player draft to take place before the ownership of Multan Sultans is clarified, as franchise decisions on player retention, budgets and recruitment strategies depend heavily on ownership structure.

“The draft cannot realistically go ahead while the ownership of one franchise is still in transition,” a source familiar with the matter said, adding that a short postponement is now the most likely outcome.

The issue is expected to come up during a virtual meeting of the PSL Governing Council scheduled for January 15, where representatives of all eight franchises will be present. The meeting agenda includes league expansion, player recruitment mechanisms and the auction of Multan Sultans.

The PCB had earlier planned to auction Multan Sultans after the upcoming PSL season and had announced that the board would temporarily run the franchise. However, strong investor interest during the recent auctions for the Hyderabad and Sialkot teams prompted the board to fast-track the sale.

With the Multan Sultans bidding process now moving ahead on an accelerated timeline, insiders say the PCB may revise the PSL draft schedule to ensure operational clarity and fairness for all franchises. No official announcement has yet been made regarding a new draft date, but sources indicate a delay is now increasingly likely.