Pakistan, Oct. 31 -- Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises will be allowed to retain a maximum of seven players, including their direct signing, for the 12th edition of the tournament, but any side exercising the full retention allowance will have to release a player from the highest price tier of the previous auction into the general player pool.

The provision, unanimously approved by all eight franchises at a tournament operations workshop at Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, is among the key regulations finalised ahead of the PSL 12 player auction scheduled for January 23.

The mandatory release of a top-tier player is aimed at ensuring the availability of elite talent to all franchises during the auction, while allowing teams to preserve...