The much-awaited franchise awarding process for the Pakistan Super League has officially begun with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) inviting interested parties to bid for franchise team rights. Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Islamabad are the five city-based teams that will take part in the first edition of the Pakistan Super League, set to take place between February 4-24 next year in Dubai and Sharjah.
Interested parties may obtain the relevant bid documents from the League Head Office at the Qadhafi Stadium in Lahore by November 13. The franchise ownership rights are being sold for 10 years. The bids will have two proposals - technical and financial. Technical proposals will be evaluated through a stringent procedure in order to avoid any franchise-related issues in the future. On technical qualification, financial bids will open on November 24.
"We are very keen on ensuring that all five franchise owners are technically equipped to build the team in all aspects and the same will reflect in our process of bringing franchise owners on board," said League Governing Council Chairman Najam Sethi. With the awarding of team rights, the player draft will be the next key event. Top Pakistani cricketers, both national and domestic, will be joined by more than 150 foreign players in the League player draft. Star foreign T20 players such as Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen, Kieron Pollard, and Sunil Narine are some of the top cricketers who have signed up with the League. Numerous top Pakistani and international coaches have also shown interest.