LAHORE: A new era in the Pakistan Super League, the jewel in the crown of Pakistan cricket, begins on Thursday with an expanded roster of teams and an increased number of matches. However, the event will be confined to Karachi and Lahore, and will commence without spectators — a decision aligned with the government’s austerity policy amid the prevailing situation in West Asia, which has triggered an energy crisis in the region.

In the first leg, Lahore will host 14 matches from 26 March to 6 April, before the action shifts to Karachi, where 15 matches will be played from 8 to 19 April. Lahore and Karachi will then share the remaining 15 matches from 21 April to 3 May, alternating almost every other day.

The addition of Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindiz in PSL 11 has increased the number of teams from six to eight, resulting in a rise in matches from 34 to 44. Multan Sultans, following a brief period of uncertainty and ownership changes, have retained their place in the league’s elite structure after CD Ventures — which had acquired the Sialkot Stallionz franchise — opted to revert to the Multan Sultans identity within a month.

Contrary to previous editions, which followed a double round-robin format, each of the eight teams will play three opponents twice and four opponents once. Following the 40-match league stage, the top four teams will progress to the play-offs. The top two sides will contest the Qualifier on 28 April, with the winner advancing directly to the final on 3 May. The third and fourth-placed teams will meet in Eliminator 1 on 29 April, with the winner facing the Qualifier loser in Eliminator 2 on 1 May for a place in the final.

On the opening day, 26 March, three-time defending champions Lahore Qalandars will face debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium, with the match scheduled to begin at 7pm PST. Qalandars, aiming to complete a hat-trick of titles, will be led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, while Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne will captain the Kingsmen.

Rawalpindiz, captained by Mohammad Rizwan, will make their maiden appearance on Saturday afternoon against Peshawar Zalmi, who will be led by Babar Azam.

Labuschagne is one of three Australians captaining sides in PSL 11, alongside David Warner (Karachi Kings) and Ashton Turner. In addition to Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen, the other local captains are Saud Shakeel (Quetta Gladiators) and Shadab Khan (Islamabad United).

Quetta Gladiators are the only side to retain a local head coach, with former Pakistan captain Moin Khan continuing in the role he has held since 2016. The remaining franchises will be led by overseas coaches: Jason Gillespie (Hyderabad Kingsmen), Luke Ronchi (Islamabad United), Ravi Bopara (Karachi Kings), Russell Domingo (Lahore Qalandars), Tim Paine (Multan Sultans), Justin Kemp (Rawalpindiz) and Ottis Gibson (Peshawar Zalmi).

A significant highlight of PSL 11 is the participation of Australia’s Steve Smith for Multan Sultans. The former captain and 2021 T20 World Cup winner has featured in 67 T20Is, scoring 1,094 runs with five half-centuries at a strike rate of 125.45. Smith had previously signed for Multan Sultans in 2019 but withdrew due to an elbow injury.

Alongside Labuschagne, Smith, Turner and Warner, several other high-profile overseas players will feature in PSL 11:

• Hyderabad Kingsmen: Kusal Perera, Hassan Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Riley Meredith
• Islamabad United: Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Dipendra Singh Airee
• Karachi Kings: Adam Zampa, Moeen Ali, Reeza Hendricks
• Lahore Qalandars: Mustafizur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Dunith Wellalage
• Multan Sultans: Peter Siddle, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lachlan Shaw, Josh Philippe
• Rawalpindiz: Sam Billings, Laurie Evans, Rishad Hossain, Daryl Mitchell
• Peshawar Zalmi: Aaron Hardie, James Vince, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Nahid Rana
• Quetta Gladiators: Rilee Rossouw, Alzarri Joseph, Ben McDermott, Tom Curran

Four overseas players — Blessing Muzarabani, Dasun Shanaka, Gudakesh Motie and Johnson Charles — were initially signed by PSL franchises but have since withdrawn to participate in the IPL. The PCB has yet to announce whether any legal action will be taken. Last year, South Africa’s Corbin Bosch was handed a one-year ban after breaching his PSL contract under similar circumstances.

Some of the elite and leading Pakistan cricketers to feature in PSL 11 are:

• Hyderabad Kingsmen: Akif Javed, Hunain Shah, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Sharjeel Khan and Usman Khan
• Islamabad United: Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Hasnain, Salman Mirza and Sameer Minhas
• Karachi Kings: Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan, Hasan Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mir Hamza, Salman Ali Agha and Shahid Aziz
• Lahore Qalandars: Abdullah Shafique, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah and Usama Mir
• Multan Sultans: Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan and Shan Masood
• Rawalpindiz: Asif Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah and Shahzaib Khan
• Peshawar Zalmi: Aamir Jamal, Abdul Samad, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Haris, Shahnawaz Dahani and Sufyan Muqeem
• Quetta Gladiators: Abrar Ahmad, Ahmed Daniyal, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Nafay, Shamyl Hussain and Usman Tariq

The tournament winners will receive $500,000, while the runners-up will earn $300,000. Additionally, the PCB has announced a $200,000 reward to recognise franchises’ contributions to the development of cricket.

Revised schedule of matches from 26-31 March in Lahore:

26 March – Lahore Qalandars v Hyderabad Kingsmen (7pm)

27 March – Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings (7pm)

28 March – Peshawar Zalmi v Rawalpindiz (2.30pm); Multan Sultans v Islamabad United (7pm)

29 March – Quetta Gladiators v Hyderabad Kingsmen (7pm)

31 March – Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi (7pm)

Squads (as per the list provided by the PCB on 24 March 2026):

HYDERABAD KINGSMEN: Marnus Labuschagne (captain), Ahmed Hussain, Akif Javed, Asif Mehmood, Glenn Maxwell, Hammad Azam, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Kusal Perera, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Ottniel Baartman, Riley Meredith, Rizwan Mehmood, Saad Ali, Saim Ayub, Sharjeel Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Tayyab Arif and Usman Khan

HEAD COACH: Jason Gillespie

ISLAMABAD UNITED: Shadab Khan (captain), Andries Gous, Devon Conway, Dipendra Singh Airee, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Mark Chapman, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza Sajjad, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Faiq, Nisar Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Salman Irshad, Salman Mirza, Sameen Gul and Sameer Minhas

HEAD COACH: Luke Ronchi

KARACHI KINGS: David Warner (captain), Abbas Afridi, Adam Zampa, Aqib Ilyas, Azam Khan, Hamza Sohail, Haroon Arshad, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah, Khushdil Shah, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, Mir Hamza, Moeen Ali, Muhammad Waseem, Reeza Hendricks, Rizwanullah, Saad Baig, Salman Ali Agha and Shahid Aziz

HEAD COACH: Ravi Bopara

LAHORE QALANDARS: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Asif Ali, Danial Sams, Dunith Wellalage, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Farooq, Muhammad Naeem, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hussain Elon, Rubin Hermann, Shahab Khan, Sikandar Raza, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah and Usama Mir

HEAD COACH: Russell Domingo

MULTAN SULTANS: Ashton Turner (captain), Arafat Minhas, Arshad Iqbal, Atizaz Habib, Delanto Potgieter, Faisal Akram, Imran Randhawa, Josh Philippe, Lachlan Shaw, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Momin Qamar, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ismail, Muhammad Shahzad, Peter Siddle, Sahibzada Farhan, Shan Masood, Shehzad Gul, Steve Smith and Tabraiz Shamsi

HEAD COACH: Tim Paine

RAWALPINDIZ: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Asif Afridi, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Dian Forrestor, Fawad Ali, Jalat Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Laurie Evans, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Amir Khan, Naseem Shah, Rishad Hossain, Saad Masood, Sam Billings, Shahzaib Khan and Yasir Khan

HEAD COACH: Justin Kemp

PESHAWAR ZALMI: Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Aaron Hardie, Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Ali Raza, Brian Bennett, Farhan Yousuf, Iftikhar Ahmed, James Vince, Kashif Ali, Khalid Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Kusal Mendis, Michael Bracewell, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Haris, Nahid Rana, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shoriful Islam and Sufyan Muqeem

HEAD COACH: Ottis Gibson

QUETTA GLADIATORS: Saud Shakeel (captain), Abrar Ahmad, Ahmed Daniyal, Ahsan Ali (partially available), Alzarri Joseph, Ben McDermott, Bevon Jacobs, Bismissal Khan, Brett Hampton, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Jahanzaib Sultan, Khanzaib, Khawaja Nafay, Rilee Rossouw, Sam Harper, Saqib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Tom Curran and Usman Tariq

HEAD COACH: Moin Khan