The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to begin without any fireworks or fanfare on March 26 (Thursday) in line with the Pakistani government’s decision to adopt austerity measures due to the impending energy crisis due to the geopolitical situation in the region.
LAHORE, (APP – Urdu Point / Pakistan Point News – 25th Mar, 2026) The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to begin without any fireworks or fanfare on March 26 (Thursday) in line with the Pakistani government’s decision to adopt austerity measures due to the impending energy crisis due to the geopolitical situation in the region.
Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the Lahore Qalandars as they bid to defend their title in their opening match against newcomers Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Qalandars, who have played in the final of four of the last six HBL PSL editions, are paired with arch rivals Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi. Each team in its group will play each other twice and face teams from that group once.
The other group of four teams is Hyderabad Kingsmen, Multan Sultans, Islamabad United and Rawalpindi. In this format, each team will play 10 matches, after which it will decide the playoffs followed by two eliminations for the HBL PSL 11 finalists.
Of the 44 matches, 22 were split between Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and National Bank Stadium in Karachi. The night matches will start at 7pm PKT, while the first match of the 12 double header will start at 2.
30 PM PT.
For the first time in the history of the HBL PSL, a separate reward has been set for franchises where the winning franchise will receive US$500,000, the runner-up will receive US$300,000, while the franchise providing the best player development efforts will receive US$200,000. The prize money for the tournament is $500,000 for players.
Rawalpindi and Hyderabad Kingsmen are set to make their debut in the HBL PSL as the league enters a new era following the historic team auctions in January and February earlier this year.
Babar Azam, the only player so far to have played 100 league matches, tops the scoring charts with 3,792 points, followed by Fakhar Zaman (2,964), Mohammad Rizwan (2,770), Shoaib Malik (2,350) and Reilly Rousseau (2,287).
On the bowling front, Hasan Ali (125), Shaheen Shah Afridi (122), Wahab Riaz (113) and Shadab Khan (105) are the only four players to have taken 100 or more wickets in the history of the tournament.
Among the teams, Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars have won the tournament three times each, while Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings have won the HBL PSL title once each.