ISLAMABAD: The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 tournament will kick off on March 26, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday, which will feature eight franchises competing across multiple venues.

The statement came after a meeting of the PSL governing council at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, which was presided over by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

The meeting began with the PCB chairman and all participants congratulating and welcoming the new team owners of Sialkot and Hyderabad, according to the PCB.

“Detailed discussions were held on various matters including the schedule of the HBL PSL 11, player retentions, adoption of the player auction or a unique combination of auction and draft termed as ‘drauction’ and the option of opening direct signings,” the board said.

“It was decided that the HBL PSL 11 will kick off on Thursday, 26 March as the fans, players and stakeholders look forward to entering the new era of the league.”

The PSL is Pakistan’s premier T20 cricket league which features a mix of local and international players. The league already had six city-based teams which include Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, Lahore Qalandars, Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.

Hyderabad and Sialkot will join the 11th edition of PSL after they were bought for record prices at an auction organized by the PCB this month.

The board will run the Multan Sultans team for the 11th edition before looking for a potential buyer. The previous owner of Multan Sultans, Ali Tareen, announced last month he was walking away from his ownership of the franchise.