The Pakistan Cricket Board has once again ignited debate across social media after announcing that the HBL PSL Brand Partnership Rights for the 2026–2029 cycle have been sold to TransGroup FZE at a record-breaking value, marking what PCB officially describes as a 1,226 percent increase compared to the inaugural 2016 edition. The announcement, released through PCB’s official press portal, states that the four-year deal beginning from PSL 11 represents a “historic high” and signals the league’s entry into what it calls a #NewEra.
Official press release: https://pcb.com.pk/press-release-detail/hbl-psl-brand-partnership-rights-enter-the-new-era-with-hitting-a-historic-high.html
But here is where the confusion began.
When PCB leads with “1,226% increase,” fans immediately ask a legitimate question: increase from what exact base, and what is the exact figure today? Because percentages without context are oxygen for speculation.
Let us break this down clinically and clearly.
In 2016, during PSL 1, HBL acquired title sponsorship rights reportedly for $5.2 million over a three-year cycle (2016–2018). That figure applies specifically to title sponsorship, not brand partnership rights as currently structured. Over time, the commercial structure evolved. Brand partnership now includes multiple ground branding categories and umpire branding rights, separate from title sponsorship and separate from media broadcasting rights.
According to previous reporting and discussions, last cycle’s brand partnership package (2022–2024) was estimated at approximately Rs 54 crore per year and included:
