Naqvi announces new reward for franchises in PSL 2026

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Friday announced a special reward for the franchises participating in the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026.

Naqvi made the announcement on his X account, saying that franchises would be rewarded for their contribution to the growth of the PSL.

The PCB chairman said that the champion franchise of the PSL 2026 will be rewarded with $500,000, the runner-up to get $300,000, while the franchise recognised for its efforts in cricket development will take home $200,000.

These rewards are separate from the regular prize money awarded each season.

"Let's take Pakistan cricket to new heights," he added.

Earlier in the day, the PCB announced that the auction for the two new PSL franchises will be held on January 6, 2026, marking a major milestone in the league’s expansion plans.

The announcement came shortly after the PCB dismissed media reports claiming that the names of the two new franchises had already been finalised.

The board reiterated that team names will only be determined after the auction, and strictly in accordance with the process outlined in the official Bid Documents.

Earlier speculation suggested that Faisalabad and Gilgit were the frontrunners; however, insiders confirmed that these are merely two out of six shortlisted cities.

The pool of shortlisted cities under consideration for franchise allocation includes Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit.

Only technically qualified bidders will be invited to participate in the auction, and the successful bidders will have the right to select their preferred city/team name from the shortlisted locations.