Franchises to be assessed on players’ pathway, infrastructure, grassroots work and welfare

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has introduced a $200,000 award to recognize the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise that makes the strongest contribution to cricket development.

The inaugural HBL PSL Cricket Development Excellence Award will assess franchises on areas including player development, infrastructure, grassroots cricket, domestic engagement and player welfare.

According to the PCB, the 2026 award will consider development work carried out by franchises from HBL PSL 3 through HBL PSL 11, covering the period when at least six franchises participated in the league.

After the 11th edition, only development work carried out between the two most recent PSL editions will be considered for the award.

How will franchises be assessed?

In the first phase, each franchise will assess its own development work using a scoring model developed by the HBL PSL. The submissions will then be reviewed by an assessment committee formed by the PCB.

The five-member committee will include independent experts and PCB stakeholders. It will verify the scores using evidence and other verifiable data provided by the franchises.

This assessment will account for 80% of the final score.

The franchises will then be required to publish presentations highlighting their cricket development initiatives on official PSL social media platforms.

Fans will also have a role in the process. They will be able to vote and rank franchises based on their development efforts, with fan voting carrying 20% of the final score.

Award scoring criteria

The PCB has divided the assessment into six key areas:

• Player pathway and development: 25%
• Player impact and match contribution: 10%
• High-performance infrastructure and innovation: 15%
• Grassroots and domestic engagement: 20%
• Player welfare and education: 10%
• Fan voting through social media: 20%

The PCB said voting guidelines will be provided to fans when the voting process begins.

Focus on emerging players

The player pathway category will assess how franchises identify and develop new or uncapped players and provide them with opportunities and cricket exposure beyond the PSL.

The player impact category will examine the development and contribution of newly identified players, including their match-winning impact and expanding roles within their respective franchises.

Infrastructure and player welfare

The high-performance infrastructure category will assess facilities, staffing, institutional systems and technology-based innovations introduced by franchises.

The player welfare and education category will cover areas such as financial literacy, educational support, mental health support, media training, anti-doping and anti-corruption education, as well as career transition plans.

Grassroots cricket

The grassroots and domestic engagement category will assess franchise initiatives aimed at developing men’s and women’s cricket.

It will include coaching clinics for children, school and club cricket programmes and participation in PCB-organised cricket activities.

The PCB said the award is intended to recognize and encourage franchises that contribute to the development of cricket beyond the PSL competition itself.