Hyderabad Kingsmen

Hyderabad Kingsmen
حيدرآباد کنگزمین
LeaguePakistan Super League
Personnel
Captain Marnus Labuschagne
Coach Jason Gillespie
Batting coach Hanif Malik
Fielding coach Grant Bradburn
OwnerFKS Group
Team information
CityHyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan
Founded8 January 2026 (8 January 2026)
Home groundNiaz Stadium
Capacity15,000[1]

Hyderabad Kingsmen (Sindhi/Urdu: حيدرآباد کنگزمین), formally known as Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen, are a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Hyderabad, Sindh, that will compete in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The franchise was established in 2026 following the expansion of the league from six to eight teams for the 2026 Pakistan Super League. The franchise rights were sold to FKS consortium for PKR 1.75 billion per year, at an auction held by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team's home ground is Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad.[2]

The Hyderabad Kingsmen will make its debut in PSL 11 (2026 season), scheduled to be played from 23 March to 3 May 2026, marking the first season in league history to feature eight teams.[3][4]

Franchise History

In December 2025, the PCB formally announced the expansion of the Pakistan Super League by adding two new franchises for the 2026 season. The board initiated a bidding process and carried out a technical evaluation, resulting in ten bidders qualifying for participation in the franchise auction.[5] Six candidate cities were shortlisted for the new franchises: Hyderabad, Sialkot, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi.[6]

The auction was held on 8 January 2026. Hyderabad and Sialkot were officially confirmed as the two new franchise cities.[7][8]

FKS consortium secured the Hyderabad franchise with a successful bid of PKR 1.75 billion per year. Fawad Sarwar was the principal figure behind the FKS consortium who is also the owner of Kingsmen Sports and Enterprise and owns Chicago Kingsmen in USA Minor League.[9][10] The team name and logo were revealed in a public ceremony held at Niaz Stadium on 7 February 2026.[11][12] Initially the team was named Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen but management faced backlash from team's fan base for including American city 'Houston' in teams name.[13] Team name was changed to Hyderabad Kingsmen removing Houston after public criticism.[14]

Performance in PSL

2026 season

This will be the debut season for Hyderabad franchise in Pakistan Super League. They will feature in the opening match of the season against Lahore Qalandars at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne is named captain of the team.

Team identity

The franchise is owned by FKS, which also owns the Chicago Kingsmen, a team competing in Minor League Cricket in the United States.[15]

Team name and logo were revealed in a public ceremony held at Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad on 7th February 2026. Team owner Fawad Sarwar revealed the franchise name as Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen,[16][11] which was later renamed as 'Hyderabad Kingsmen' removing Houston from the name after public criticism.[14]

Year Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (front) Shirt sponsor (back) Chest branding Sleeve branding
2026 Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant

Current squad

Key
  • Players with international caps are listed in bold.
  •  *  denotes a player who is fully unavailable.
  •  *  denotes a player who will be partially unavailable.
No. Name National team Birth date Salary Batting style Bowling style Year signed Notes
Batsmen
33 Marnus Labuschagne  Australia (1994-06-22) 22 June 1994 PKR 5.88 crore Right-handed Right-arm leg break 2026 Captain
80 Irfan Khan Niazi  Pakistan (2002-12-28) 28 December 2002 PKR 2.90 crore Right-handed Right-arm medium 2026
11 Shayan Jahangir  United States (1994-12-24) 24 December 1994 PKR 60 lakh Right-handed Right-arm medium 2026
98 Sharjeel Khan  Pakistan (1989-08-14) 14 August 1989 PKR 60 lakh Left-handed Slow left arm orthodox 2026
Saad Ali  Pakistan (1993-10-05) 5 October 1993 PKR 60 lakh Right-handed Right-arm medium 2026
1 Tayyab Arif  Pakistan (2006-10-11) 11 October 2006 PKR 60 lakh Right-handed 2026
Wicket-keepers
55 Kusal Perera  Sri Lanka (1990-08-17) 17 August 1990 PKR 3.10 crore Left-handed 2026
78 Usman Khan  Pakistan (1995-05-10) 10 May 1995 PKR 4.62 crore Right-handed 2026
All-rounders
63 Saim Ayub  Pakistan (2002-05-24) 24 May 2002 PKR 12.60 crore Left-handed Right-arm off break 2026
32 Glenn Maxwell  Australia (1988-10-14) 14 October 1988 PKR 2.34 crore Right-handed Right-arm off break 2026
16 Maaz Sadaqat  Pakistan (2005-05-15) 15 May 2005 PKR 3.50 crore Left-handed Slow left arm orthodox 2026
98 Hassan Khan  United States (1998-10-16) 16 October 1998 PKR 1.85 crore Right-handed Slow left arm orthodox 2026
73 Hammad Azam  Pakistan (1991-03-16) 16 March 1991 PKR 60 lakh Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium 2026
Rizwan Mehmood  Pakistan (2004-06-15) 15 June 2004 PKR 60 lakh Right-handed Right-arm leg break 2026
55 Ahmed Hussain  Pakistan (2007-05-15) 15 May 2007 PKR 60 lakh Left-handed Left-arm leg break 2026
Bowlers
88 Akif Javed  Pakistan (2000-10-10) 10 October 2000 PKR 1.96 crore Right-handed Left-arm fast 2026
11 Mohammad Ali  Pakistan (1992-11-01) 1 November 1992 PKR 2.15 crore Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast 2026
34 Riley Meredith  Australia (1996-06-21) 21 June 1996 PKR 4.20 crore Right-handed Right-arm fast 2026
72 Hunain Shah  Pakistan (2004-02-04) 4 February 2004 PKR 60 lakh Right-handed Right-arm medium 2026
84 Asif Mehmood  Pakistan (1996-02-03) 3 February 1996 PKR 60 lakh Right-handed Right-arm medium 2026

Source: ESPNcricinfo

Management and coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Jason Gillespie
Assistant coach Craig White
Batting coach Hanif Malik
Fielding coach Grant Bradburn
Analyst Freddie Wilde
Strength & Conditioning Coach Zak Martin
Commerical Head Laura Russo
Franchise Director & General Manager Salman Abbasi
Operations Director & General Manager Iqra Farooqui
Group Director & General Manager Faisal Mirza

References

  1. ^ "Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad".. Cricinfo. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  2. ^ Alam, Sher (9 January 2026). "Another PSL Team Stadium Set for Major Upgrade". ProPakistani.
  3. ^ "PSL 2026: Hyderabad and Sialkot to join expanded Pakistan Super League". BBC Sport. 8 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Official: New PSL teams will be from these two cities". ProPakistani. 8 January 2026.
  5. ^ "PCB extends bid deadline for new PSL franchises amid international interest". Dawn. 13 December 2025.
  6. ^ "PCB confirms six‑city shortlist for two new PSL teams". Dawn. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Hyderabad and Sialkot join PSL as two newest teams". ESPNcricinfo. 8 January 2026.
  8. ^ "PSL expands to eight teams as Hyderabad, Sialkot franchises sold". Dawn. 9 January 2026.
  9. ^ Rasool, Danyal. "PSL expands from millions to billions as Hyderabad and Sialkot fetch record bids". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  10. ^ "PSL expansion attracts strong corporate interest". Arab News Pakistan. 9 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b Alam, Sher (7 February 2026). "Hyderabad Officially Reveals PSL Team Name and Logo". ProPakistani.
  12. ^ Khan, Mohammad Hussain (8 February 2026). "Lights, crowds and delays mark Hyderabad's PSL unveiling". Dawn.
  13. ^ "Have you heard the new PSL team names, because X has and it's shocked". Images. 24 February 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Pindiz Name Changed to Rawalpindiz Ahead of PSL 11". Brandsynario. 17 March 2026.
  15. ^ "PSL expansion attracts strong corporate interest". Arab News Pakistan. 9 January 2026.
  16. ^ Amer, Raheel (8 February 2026). "Hyderabad PSL 11 franchise roars into action with name, logo reveal". www.thenews.pk.