LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Friday announced a new reward for the upcoming HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) edition set to be held in April 2026.

“Complementing the Pakistan Super League’s growth, I am thrilled to announce a new reward for franchises in the forthcoming [PSL] editions,” Mohsin said on X.

The champions will take home $500,000 — the same as the 2025 edition — while the runners-up will earn $300,000, which is an increase of the previous year’s $200,000 reward.

Additionally, a $200,000 reward will be given to the best franchise contributing towards cricket development.

Separately, the PCB announced on Friday that the auction for the two new PSL franchise teams will take place on Jan 6, 2026, while the decision for which cities have been shortlisted will be made after Dec 15.

“This marks a significant milestone in the league’s continued expansion and its commitment to expanding its footprint across Pakistan,” the PCB said of the development.

“The addition of two new teams will also create fresh commercial, sporting and fan engagement opportunities.”

PSL, which began in 2016 with five teams, expanded to six franchises with the addition of Multan Sultans in 2018. The inclusion of two more sides would mark its first major restructuring in seven years and push the total number of teams to eight.

The names of the cities from which two are to be added to PSL include Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit.

“The successful bidders at the auction will have the right to choose from amongst these city/team names. Only technically qualified bidders will be invited to the Auction,” the PCB statement said.

“The PSL, now recognised as one of the premier T20 leagues globally, continues to grow in stature, commercial strength and fan following. The PCB and PSL management look forward to welcoming new stakeholders to the PSL ecosystem and to further elevating the league’s impact on Pakistan cricket,” it concluded.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2025

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