Ali Tareen is the owner of the Multan Sultans, one of the most valuable franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The annual fee he pays for the team is USD 6.35 million, which is the highest among all six franchises.
Tareen publicly shredded a legal notice he received from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a video that went viral. This has led to a massive controversy between the two parties. The PCB had warned that Sultans' franchise contract would be terminated if he did not apologise for
his comments. If Tareen chose not to take back his words, he would be blacklisted.
The matter was taken to the public by the party on Thursday, October 23, after the information about the PCB issuing the notice to Tareen demanding that he publicly take back his words broke out. Tareen, who comes from a well-known family with a background in business and politics, had been continuously doubting the veracity of the PCB statements about the financial success of the PSL and had accused them of mismanaging the league in his tweets and on different podcasts.
On one of his podcast appearances, Tareen said that because of "incompetent management", the PSL had slumped to the "fifth or sixth" position among franchise leagues across the globe.
It goes without saying that the indomitable Tareen vented his anger, choosing social media as the platform, after receiving the notice. Tareen did issue an apology, but it was filled with sarcasm, mocking the PCB and the PSL officials. He went on to tear the notice and said, "This is my apology." Several people have come out in support of him after watching the video.
Multan Sultans finished runner-up in the 2024 edition of the PSL. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side lost to Islamabad United by two wickets in Karachi.
