Martin Guptill reacts to Kingsmen securing PSL's seventh team
FKS Group secured the seventh PSL team Hyderabad with a Rs 1.75 billion bid
Former New Zealand cricketer Martin Guptill has praised Kingsmen (FKS) for securing the seventh Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise ahead of the league's 11th season.
The new team, named Hyderabad, was acquired during a landmark auction held at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.
Guptill shared his excitement on Instagram, posting a story of the franchise owners receiving the team keys from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, captioning it: "Kingsmen Cricket USA how good is this."
In a related development, The OZ Developers, owned by Hamza Majeed, secured the eighth PSL franchise during the star-studded auction.
After the FKS Group acquired the first franchise by offering Rs 1.75 billion ($6.25 million), the base price for the second team was set at Rs 1.70 billion, sparking an intense bidding battle among all eight qualified participants.
Mr. Majeed's company eventually won the bid at Rs 1.85 billion ($6.61 million), taking ownership of the new franchise, which they named Sialkot. This marks the second major expansion in PSL history.
Multan Sultans had previously been the first team added during the league's third season, increasing the number of teams from five to six.
With the 11th edition of the PSL, two new franchises have been introduced, raising the total from six to eight teams.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 26 to May 3, 2026, promising another thrilling season of cricket for fans in Pakistan and around the world.
For the unversed, successful bidders were allowed to select a home city from a PCB-approved list that included Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit.
Following the landmark 10th edition of the marquee league, the PCB carried out a valuation process for the existing six franchises.
It offered contract renewals to their respective owners, out of which five signed the extension, with the exception of Multan Sultans, which has now been taken under control by the cricket board.
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