LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to auction Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans due to a good price fetched in the recent auction of two new teams, sources said on Sunday.
The board had announced last month that it would take control of Multan Sultans due to the expiration of its ownership agreement on December 31, 2025.
The sources at the time had said that under the proposed plan, the PCB was to manage the franchise for a year before handing it over to a new owner through an auction in 2027.
If implemented, the deal would save the PCB approximately $4 million annually as it would not have to pay $3 million from the central pool or an additional $1 million in sponsorship funds. However, an auditing firm’s report notes that the PCB would not receive franchise fees for that year, which amounted to $8.5 million.
In November, Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen announced via social media that he was parting ways with the PSL franchise. Sources indicate that relations between the PCB and Ali Tareen remained strained over the past year, eventually reaching a point of no return.
Multan Sultans was initially awarded as the sixth PSL team to the Schon Group in a $5.2 million deal, making them the most expensive franchise at the time, double the price of Karachi Kings, acquired for $2.6 million.
Sources say the decision to auction Multan Sultans was taken as the PCB got “a good price” in the recent auction, and the inclusion of two new teams, namely Hyderabad and Sialkot, takes the number of teams in PSL 11 to eight.
Therefore, the board believes that there is no better time to sell the Multan Sultans as well, and an open tender will be held with an announcement likely to be released soon in this regard.
An official announcement will be made soon after reviewing the legal aspects, sources add, saying the board expects the franchise to also be sold at a good price.
