PCB Sets PSL 12 Auction for January 23, 2027, and Opens Direct Signing Window

The Pakistan Cricket Board has locked in the roadmap for the 12th edition of the Pakistan Super League, confirming on Friday that the PSL 12 player auction will be held on January 23, 2027. The announcement came alongside the opening of a direct signing window that runs from October 23 to November 23, 2026, during which each of the league's eight franchises may sign one marquee player directly — provided that player did not feature in either PSL 10 or PSL 11. The decisions were taken at a meeting of the PSL Governing Council chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, with PSL CEO Salman Naseer and franchise representatives in attendance. While the auction date is now fixed, the venue remains undecided: one franchise owner has reportedly proposed holding the auction in China, which would be the first time in league history that the event takes place outside Pakistan, following the IPL's example of staging auctions in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. A franchise workshop is scheduled for next week to settle retention deadlines, the pre-auction trading window, auction rules and playing conditions. PSL 12 itself will run from March 18 to May 2, 2027, with 44 matches across 46 days and, for the first time, fixtures spread over five to six cities in Pakistan. The board has also aligned the National T20 Gold and Silver tournaments as talent-identification competitions ahead of the auction.