Window: 23 October – 23 November 2026 · One marquee signing per franchise · Last checked 26 October 2026
Auction hub →This is the PSL's new power move. Before retentions are locked and before the auction room opens, every franchise gets one direct shot at a marquee overseas name — with one strict condition: the player must not have featured in either of the last two seasons, PSL 10 in 2025 or PSL 11 in 2026. The rule forces fresh star power into the league instead of letting the same overseas pool rotate between teams.
The tracker below is deliberately boring where the facts are boring. As of the last check on 26 October 2026 — three days into the window — no franchise had publicly announced a completed signing in any source this guide trusts. The moment a deal is confirmed by a franchise or the PCB, the row changes: player, date, source. Social-media 'agreements' without a club announcement stay off the table.
Expect movement late in the window. Direct signings need No-Objection Certificates, calendar checks against the March–May international schedule, and in some cases board clearances, so announcements tend to bunch near the deadline. The auction on 23 January 2027 then fills whatever the window leaves open.
| Franchise | Direct signing | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Islamabad United | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
| Karachi Kings | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
| Lahore Qalandars | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
| Multan Sultans | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
| Peshawar Zalmi | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
| Quetta Gladiators | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
| Hyderabad Kingsmen | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
| Rawalpindiz | No announced signing yet (checked 26 Oct 2026) | Window closes 23 Nov 2026 |
A direct signing lets a franchise agree a deal with a player outside the auction. For PSL 12, each team may directly sign one marquee overseas player during 23 October – 23 November 2026, as long as that player did not play in PSL 10 or PSL 11.
None had been publicly announced in the sources this guide tracks as of 26 October 2026. The tracker on this page lists a signing only when a franchise or the PCB confirms it — rumours and agent talk are labelled as such or left out.
No. The PSL 12 window allows one marquee direct signing per franchise. Other squad places are filled through retentions, trades and the 23 January 2027 auction.