HYDERABAD: The official name and logo of the seventh Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise were unveiled at a star-studded ceremony at the Niaz Stadium on Saturday, marking the team’s formal entry into the tournament.
The franchise, which was acquired by FKS Group for a staggering sum of Rs 1.75 billion at the historic auction held at the Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad last month, is now called ‘Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen’.
In addition to the nomenclature, the team logo was also unveiled during the ceremony and was shared on the franchise’s official social networks.
“The field has a new ruler. The game has a new power. Introducing the Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen,” the caption read. “Let our [PSL] “the reign begins.”
The event occurred the next day, the franchise announced the signing of five players, including Pakistanis Saim Ayub and Marnus Labuschagne, prior to the auction of historic players, scheduled for February 11.
The Houston Kingsmen signed Ayub for Rs 126 million in the Platinum category, followed by Usman for Rs 46.2 million in the Diamond category, while Maaz and Akif signed for Rs 35 million and Rs 19.6 million in the Emerging and Gold categories, respectively.
Labuschagne, on the other hand, joined Hyderabad as a direct signing for an undisclosed fee.
For the unversed, the franchise has also strengthened its coaching panel ahead of the historic edition by bringing in high-profile international names.
Former Pakistan red-ball head coach and Australian all-rounder Jason Gillespie will lead as head coach, with Grant Bradburn as fielding coach, Craig White as assistant coach, Hanif Malik as batting coach and Zac Martin in charge of strength and conditioning.
The 11th edition of the PSL will see a historic change as the traditional player draft has been replaced by a player auction, while the league expands to eight teams for the first time.
This expansion marks an important milestone in the history of the PSL, following the entry of Multan Sultans in Season 3, which increased the number of teams from five to six.
With the addition of Hyderabad and Sialkot, the league will now feature eight competing teams.
