Lahore, September 18, 2026: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Friday launched the Cricket Development Excellence Award, carrying a prize of USD 200,000 for one of the league’s first six franchises in recognition of its contribution to cricket, players and the development of the tournament.
According to the PSL, the 2026 award will assess the development work undertaken by franchises from the third to the 11th edition of the league, covering the period during which at least six franchises participated in the competition.
Under the assessment process, franchises will first evaluate their development work against a scoring model devised by the PSL before submitting their findings to an assessment committee constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The five-member committee, comprising independent experts and internal stakeholders, will verify the scores against evidence and verifiable data provided by the franchises. This assessment will carry 80 per cent weightage in the final score.
The franchises will also publish presentations highlighting their cricket development initiatives on the PSL’s official social media platforms. Fans will then be able to vote and rank the franchises, with the public vote accounting for the remaining 20 per cent of the final score.
The scoring model covers six areas: Player Pathway and Development (25 per cent), Player Impact and Match Contribution (10 per cent), High-Performance Infrastructure and Innovations (15 per cent), Grassroots and Domestic Engagement (20 per cent), Player Welfare and Education (10 per cent), and fan voting (20 per cent).
The Player Pathway and Development category will assess the identification and development of new and uncapped talent, their progression and the cricket exposure provided to them beyond the PSL.
The Player Impact and Match Contribution category will evaluate the performance trajectory of scouted or newly identified players, including their match-winning contributions and expanding roles within their franchises.
The High-Performance Infrastructure and Innovations category will assess institutional capacity, including facilities, staffing, systems and technology-driven initiatives.
The Player Welfare and Education category will cover initiatives such as financial literacy, educational support, mental health programmes, media training, anti-doping and anti-corruption education, and career transition planning.
The Grassroots and Domestic Engagement category will assess franchises’ contributions to men’s and women’s cricket development, coaching clinics for children, school and club cricket initiatives, and participation in PCB-organised cricket activities.
The PCB said further details about the assessment committee and voting schedule would be announced in due course.
Following the conclusion of PSL 11, the award assessment will focus only on development work carried out between the two most recent editions of the league.
