LAHORE: HBL Pakistan Super League today (Friday) confirmed the pre-season road map for its 12th edition and the journey begins today (Friday), with Direct Signings now open across all eight franchises.
The player-movement calendar, from Direct Signings to the Player Auction on 23rd January 2027, has been locked in. HBL PSL 12 will run from 18th March to 2nd May 2027, featuring 44 matches across 46 days, played across five to six venues.
The window opens today (Friday) and runs until 23rd November 2026. Each franchise may directly sign one marquee player who did not feature in HBL PSL 10 or HBL PSL 11.
In a significant step towards strengthening Pakistan’s cricketing pipeline, the PCB has formally aligned its domestic competition calendar with the HBL PSL pre-season cycle. The National T20 Gold and National T20 Silver tournaments will serve as the primary talent-identification and player-pathway events ahead of the HBL PSL 12 Player Auction - offering outstanding domestic performers a clear and direct route from national circuit cricket into the country’s premier T20 franchise league, and onward to national team consideration.
A franchise workshop will be scheduled next week to finalise the deadline for Player Retentions, Pre-Auction Trade Window, Player Auction Rules and Playing Conditions.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said, “HBL PSL is Pakistan cricket’s biggest stage, and Season 12 will be its most ambitious yet. HBL PSL 11 ended before a record crowd, and we are building on that momentum by taking the league to more cities than ever before. The road map we have finalised and are partially announcing today (Friday) gives every stakeholder, from franchises and players to commercial partners and broadcasters, the certainty to plan at the highest level. With the foundations now in place, we are looking forward to an exciting season.”
HBL PSL CEO Salman Naseer said, “For the first time, HBL PSL will go to five to six venues, bringing the league closer to fans across Pakistan and giving more cities the chance to host the best of T20 cricket. From today (Friday), the race to build the best squad for HBL PSL 12 is on. Every Direct Signing, every trade, every retention decision over the coming weeks will shape the teams that take the field in March. We look forward to a season that takes this league further than it has ever gone.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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