The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled the names of 10 bidders competing for two new franchises as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) prepares for its first-ever expansion.

The auction for the two new teams will be held on Thursday at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad, with proceedings scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. The event will be broadcast live across multiple digital and television platforms.

According to the PCB, this will be the first time in PSL history that two additional franchises are being inducted, increasing the number of teams from six to eight for PSL Season 11.

The bidding process will be aired live on the official PCB and PSL YouTube channels, Tapmad, Tamasha and PCB Live (UK).

Television coverage will be provided by A Sports, Geo Super, Fast Sports and PTV Sports.

The PCB said it recently completed a technical evaluation of bids submitted for the new franchises.

A total of 12 bids were received from local and international parties, of which 10 were declared eligible after scrutiny by the bidding committee.

The qualified bidders include M Next, Dahrki Sugar Mills, FKS, Prism Developers, Inverex Solar, Jazz, i2c, Willy Technologies, VGo Tel and OZ Developers. A competitive auction is expected among the shortlisted companies.

PCB officials said potential host cities for the new franchises include Faisalabad, Gilgit, Hyderabad, Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi and Sialkot, though final decisions will be taken after the auction.

PSL Season 11 is scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3, 2026. The two new teams will make their debut in the upcoming season.

Following the auction, a special ceremony will be held featuring a performance by renowned singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Prize distribution for the Pakistan Shaheens and Hong Kong Super Sixes winning teams will also take place.

The PCB said the official hashtag for the PSL expansion auction is #NewEra, reflecting the league’s transition into its next phase of growth.