Unique Twist In PSL: Mohsin Naqvi's PCB To Take Control Of Multan Sultans

The 2026 season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will operate with a unique twist. One of the franchises, the Multan Sultans, will be operated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), after its owner, Ali

Tareen, announced last month he was exiting the team due to issues with the board.

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday (December 28) said the franchise would be run by former cricketers and ‘experts’. He argued that the board didn’t have enough time to secure an independent sale of the team before the season, which is expected to begin in March.

“Multan Sultans will be operated by the PCB this year. Once the PSL concludes, we will carry out the auction process and put the franchise up for sale. However, for this season, the board will run the Sultans,” Naqvi said at a press conference. “For this purpose, we will appoint an acting head within the next eight to ten days who will oversee the team. A professional cricketer will be brought in to manage Multan Sultans for this season,” he continued.

With all PSL team rights expiring in December and owners required to re-bid, Tareen accused the PCB of withholding Multan’s valuation and renewal documents despite repeated emails and even a legal notice. The board demanded an apology, threatening to bar him from bidding, prompting Tareen to publicly tear up their letter.

PCB later claimed the valuation process was ‘completed’ without Multan. Tareen warned he may pursue legal action before eventually walking away from the team entirely.

Naqvi has seemingly kept the door open for Tareen to buy one of the two new franchises that the PCB has put up for sale this year.

“Unfortunately, what happened was an issue that I don’t want to discuss. But we’d absolutely welcome Ali back. If he wants to buy a new team, he can bid for it by all means,” he said.