Lahore Qalandars have confirmed they will stay in the Pakistan Super League for ten more years, ending a small cloud of doubt about the champions’ long-term plans. The owners, brothers Sameen and Atif Rana, accepted the Pakistan Cricket Board’s renewal offer late on Monday, becoming the first of the six current franchises to sign on.
Key numbers first. After a fresh valuation by consultancy EY-MENA, the Qalandars were tagged at roughly PKR 980 million (about USD 3.47m) per season, making them – on paper – the PSL’s most valuable outfit. Under the PCB’s renewal formula the existing owners keep a discount: they pay the original fee (roughly PKR 425m) plus 25 per cent of the new valuation. In real terms that puts their yearly cheque close to PKR 670m (USD 2.37m), roughly PKR 300m less than any new buyer would have to stump up.
“The franchise has accepted the PCB’s renewal offer to continue as a PSL team for the next 10 years,” the club said. “Following an independent valuation by independent experts EY MENA, Lahore Qalandars have been recognised as the most valuable team based on combined on-field performance and organisational strength. This accolade reflects the franchise’s commitment to sustainable growth and long-term development.”
The PCB has not published full figures, yet industry people do talk. Karachi Kings, once the most expensive side at launch (PKR 440m), are understood to sit just under PKR 800m now; owner Salman Iqbal would need to part with around PKR 640m per season to renew. Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi are believed to be negotiating on similar lines, while Quetta Gladiators have kept their cards close.
Multan Sultans face a different headache. They joined in season three at PKR 1.1 billion (USD 3.89m), the top price then, but their latest valuation has slipped to around PKR 850m. The rules state a current owner pays the higher of the two numbers – in this case the old fee – plus 25 per cent, something Sultans owner Ali Tareen finds hard to swallow. His public complaints led to the only renewal offer not being dropped in his inbox, and lawyers have since been mentioned. A final decision, one senior league official admitted, “could run right up to the wire”.
Beyond the renewals, the PCB intends to expand the competition from six to eight teams next season. Names have not been confirmed, though Faisalabad and Sialkot keep cropping up in conversation. How the extra sides fit into an already tight February–March window, and whether overseas players can be persuaded to stay longer, remains on the to-do list.
From a cricketing view, the Qalandars look settled. Three titles in four years, a productive player-development programme out of their Lahore high-performance centre, and a reliable fan base give them leverage. Commercial partners have taken note; several sponsorship deals, insiders say, are being renegotiated upward on the back of the EY number.
Yet nothing sits still for long. Media-rights money is still well below the Indian Premier League, and teams rely heavily on central revenue. The new cycle, therefore, is about steady growth rather than eye-catching leaps. A board executive put it plainly last week: “The league’s healthy, but it isn’t printing cash. Sensible budgeting is the way forward.”
For now, the Qalandars have their paperwork done, their trophy in the cabinet and, crucially, cost certainty for a decade. In a tournament that once lived year-to-year, that feels like progress – even if the conversations, and the sums, are only getting bigger.
