PSL’s two new franchises sold for almost same value as Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant's IPL paycheques

The two new PSL franchises will be based out of Sialkot and Hyderabad.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) made a critical move towards growth on Thursday, inducting two more clubs ahead of the 2026 season — but the price tags highlighted the PSL's significant financial gap with the Indian Premier League (IPL).

A real estate consortium and a US-based aviation and healthcare conglomerate won the bids for the two new teams, which cost a total of $12.75 million (about INR 114 crore).  

OZ Developers purchased the Sialkot franchise for PKR 1.85 billion ($6.55 million), while the FKS Group of the United States chose Hyderabad following a successful bid of PKR 1.75 billion ($6.2 million).

These two new teams will take the total number of participating teams in PSL from 6 to 8 when the new PSL 11 season begins on March 26. However, for a different reason—the stark disparity in IPL valuations—the auction results have sparked debate within the cricket community.

The combined IPL salaries of Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 crore) and Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore) are nearly equal to the approximately INR 56–59 crore that each of the new PSL franchises was sold for. 

The total cost of the two new PSL teams is actually less than the INR 118 crore that was spent at the IPL 2026 auction on just the top nine players.

The difference becomes even more pronounced when the sale of PSL franchises is compared with the two new IPL franchises sold in 2021.

The two IPL expansion teams added in 2021 were sold for INR 5,625 crore (Gujarat Titans) and INR 7,090 crore (Lucknow Super Giants) respectively — nearly 100 to 125 times the price of a new PSL franchise on a like-for-like basis.

Even after accounting for inflation, the IPL's initial 2008 franchise payments would now be in the INR 900-1,500 crore range, significantly greater than PSL's latest figures.

Ex-Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen chose to stay away from the auction for the two new franchises, despite having the ability to bid. Tareen explained on social media that his choice to join the PSL was motivated by his desire to represent South Punjab.

“When the Multan team is being sold, we'll be ready,” he wrote.

Multan Sultans will be managed by the Pakistan Cricket Board this season before being sold once the PSL concludes in April.

(Times of India inputs)