The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has officially decided to grow its family, approving the addition of two new franchises that will compete from the 2026 season onwards. However, the financial details of this expansion have cast a glaring spotlight on the enormous economic divide separating the PSL from its Indian counterpart, the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The New Entrants and Their Price Tags
In a significant move on Thursday, the PSL awarded its seventh and eighth team slots. A real estate consortium named OZ Developers secured the rights to the Sialkot franchise with a winning bid of PKR 1.85 billion, which translates to approximately $6.55 million. The second new team, based in Hyderabad, was picked up by the US-based FKS Group, an aviation and healthcare conglomerate, for PKR 1.75 billion or about $6.2 million.
This brings the total combined investment for the two new PSL teams to $12.75 million, roughly equivalent to INR 114 crore. With these additions, the league will transform into an eight-team competition when its next season kicks off on March 26, 2026, marking a pivotal step in its growth trajectory.
A Stark Financial Reality Check: PSL vs IPL
While the expansion is a positive development for Pakistani cricket, the auction numbers have ignited widespread discussion for highlighting the financial chasm between the two South Asian leagues. Each new PSL franchise was sold for between INR 56 to 59 crore.
To put this in perspective, the combined price of one new PSL team is nearly the same as the total IPL salaries of two star Indian players – Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 crore) and Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore). Even more strikingly, the total cost of both new PSL franchises is less than the INR 118 crore spent on just the top nine players at a single IPL auction.
The contrast becomes almost surreal when compared to IPL's own expansion. The two teams added to the IPL in 2021, Lucknow and Ahmedabad, were sold for a staggering INR 5,625 crore and INR 7,090 crore respectively. This means the latest IPL teams were valued nearly 100 to 125 times higher than the new PSL entrants on a direct comparison basis.
Historical Context and Owner Sentiment
Further analysis shows that even the original franchise fees paid during the IPL's inaugural season in 2008, when adjusted for inflation today, would range between INR 900 to 1,500 crore – still orders of magnitude above the PSL's latest figures.
Amidst this expansion, notable by his absence was former Multan Sultans owner Ali Khan Tareen. Eligible to bid, Tareen chose to sit out. He clarified his position on social media, stating his connection to the PSL was specifically tied to representing South Punjab. He indicated readiness to bid only "when the Multan team is being sold." For the upcoming season, the Pakistan Cricket Board will manage the Multan Sultans, with plans to sell the franchise after the league concludes in April.
The expansion of the PSL is a clear sign of its developmental ambitions, yet the financial metrics underscore the IPL's dominant and unparalleled position as the world's wealthiest cricket league. The gap is not just wide; it's a defining characteristic of the modern cricket economy.
