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PSL 11

Sialkot Stallions rebranded as Multan Sultans for PSL 11

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Sialkot Stallions

LAHORE: The franchise initially introduced as Sialkot Stallions for the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 has been officially rebranded as Multan Sultans.

The development was confirmed on Tuesday by PSL Chief Executive Salman Naseer during a joint press conference attended by franchise owner Hamza Majeed and CD Ventures head Gohar Shah.

Earlier, OZ Developers had secured the Sialkot Stallions franchise rights for 10 years at a bid of Rs1.85 billion during the team auction held in Islamabad. However, the company has now entered into a strategic partnership with CD Ventures.

Under the new arrangement, Gohar Shah has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the franchise, and the team has been renamed Multan Sultans.

According to Salman Naseer, following the latest development, the franchise’s annual valuation has increased to Rs2 billion. He revealed that after assuming office, Gohar Shah formally requested the name change, which was subsequently approved.

“Sialkot Stallions will now participate as Multan Sultans,” Naseer stated.

Speculation had circulated in recent weeks regarding the Sialkot-based franchise, including reports about OZ Developers selling shares and facing financial challenges.

Speaking at the press conference, Multan Sultans CEO Gohar Shah confirmed his formal induction into the franchise leadership and expressed his desire to strengthen South Punjab’s representation in the league.

“An individual stallion cannot win the PSL alone; to move forward, a stallion needs a sultan — and we have come as the Sultan,” he remarked, emphasizing the importance of preserving Multan’s identity.

The PSL Season 11 is scheduled to take place from March 26 to May 3, 2026.

PSL 11: Franchises announce updated retention categories

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PSL 11

LAHORE:  Pakistan Super League franchises have released the revised retention category lists for the 11th edition of the tournament, outlining player placements across Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging categories ahead of the PSL 11 draft process.

The updated lists provide clarity on player movements, promotions and possible retentions before the official auction.

Silver Category

According to the revised list, the following players have been placed in the Silver category:

Islamabad United: Mohammad Faizan, Haneen Shah

Peshawar Zalmi: Arif Yaqoob, Mehran Mumtaz

Karachi Kings: Mirza Mamoon Imtiaz

Quetta Gladiators: Ali Majid

Lahore Qalandars: Mohammad Akhlaq

In addition, Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Aazib, Yasir Khan, Aamir Barki, Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Altaf, Ali Imran, Jehanzaib Sultan and Ubaid Shah have also been included in the Silver category.

Emerging Category

The Emerging category includes:

Islamabad United: Saad Masood, Mohammad Shehzad, Ghazi Ghori

Karachi Kings: Riyazullah, Fawad Ali, Saad Baig

Lahore Qalandars: Momin Qamar

Peshawar Zalmi: Abdullah Fazal, Ali Raza, Moaz Sadaqat

Multan Sultans: Shahid Aziz, Mohammad Zulkifal

Quetta Gladiators: Mohammad Zeeshan, Shamil Hussain

Diamond Category

Ahead of PSL 11, franchises have also confirmed the updated Diamond category list.

Karachi Kings: Abbas Afridi, Shan Masood

Abbas Afridi has been downgraded from Platinum to Diamond.

Lahore Qalandars: Abdullah Shafique, Salman Mirza

Multan Sultans: Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed

Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel, Wasim Jr, Usman Khan

Peshawar Zalmi: Sufiyan Muqeem

Sufiyan Muqeem was promoted from Gold to Diamond at the final stage.

Gold Category

The revised Gold category list has also been issued, with franchises allowed to retain one Gold player prior to the auction.

Lahore Qalandars: Jahandad Khan, Zaman Khan, Asif Ali, Asif Afridi

Asif Ali and Asif Afridi were part of the Silver category last season.

Islamabad United: Azam Khan, Haider Ali, Salman Irshad, Rumman Raees

Azam Khan was previously in the Diamond category, while Rumman Raees featured in Silver.

Karachi Kings: Khushdil Shah, Aamir Jamal, Irfan Niazi, Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, Umair Bin Yousuf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Arafat Minhas

Peshawar Zalmi: Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Ali, Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Sufiyan Muqeem, Ahmed Daniyal, Ehsanullah

Quetta Gladiators: Khawaja Nafay, Haseebullah Khan, Khurram Shahzad, Hasan Nawaz, Danish Aziz

Multan Sultans: Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Faisal Akram, Aakif Javed, Tayyab Tahir

Possible Platinum Category Players

Franchises have also shared provisional lists of Platinum-category players ahead of official confirmation by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Islamabad United: Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim

Karachi Kings: Hasan Ali

Lahore Qalandars: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf

Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan

Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam, Saim Ayub

Quetta Gladiators: Mohammad Amir, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed

The PCB is expected to officially announce the final list of Pakistani Platinum-category players on Wednesday.

Foreign Players’ Retention

Meanwhile, the retention categories for foreign players will be finalized after the completion of auction registration.

According to PSL regulations, the retention category for overseas players who featured in the previous season will be determined based on their base price during registration. However, franchises and players may mutually agree on retention categories for PSL 11.

Under the rules, each of the six PSL franchises will be allowed to retain one player in each of the four categories.

 Bangladesh’s star bowler Mustafizur Rahman registers for PSL 11

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 Bangladesh’s star bowler

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s star fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has officially registered for the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), as the process for overseas players continues.

According to sources, foreign cricketers can complete their registration for PSL 11 until January 20, with growing interest from international players ahead of the upcoming season.

Mustafizur Rahman’s registration comes shortly after his release from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, a decision that, according to reports, was taken amid pressure from extremist Hindu groups. Indian media has also claimed that the decision to drop Mustafizur from the IPL was made at a higher level, sparking debate across the cricketing world.

Following this development, Bangladesh Cricket has reportedly decided not to send its team to India for the ICC T20 World Cup and has instead demanded that the matches be shifted to a neutral venue.

Along with Mustafizur Rahman, several other Bangladeshi cricketers have registered for PSL 11. Nearly 10 players from Bangladesh are now part of the registration pool, including Taskin Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Rishad Hossain, and Tanzid Hasan.

The growing presence of Bangladeshi players highlights PSL’s rising appeal among international cricketers ahead of the league’s player draft.

New teams in PSL 11: auction set for Dec 22

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New teams

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has postponed the auction for two new PSL 11 franchises by one week, with the event now scheduled for December 22, 2025..

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated on social media platform X that the extension has been granted due to the growing global popularity of the PSL, giving investors more time to participate in the bidding process.

The PCB has also reportedly tripled the valuation of the six existing PSL franchises. For the two new teams, the reserve price has been set at PKR 1.3 billion per year.

While official confirmation on the final prices is yet to be made, media reports suggest the valuations are likely to be higher than previous seasons.

Notably, unlike 2016 when franchise prices were quoted in US dollars, all financial transactions for PSL 11 will now be conducted in Pakistani rupees.

To attract investors for the new teams and the Multan Sultans, the PCB recently organized a roadshow in London.

Six cities in Pakistan—Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Hyderabad, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit—have been shortlisted, with two cities to be selected for the new franchises, expanding the PSL from six to eight teams.