PCB ‘decides to hold auction’ for Multan Sultans franchise

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to auction Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans owing to a good price secured in the recent auction of two new teams, the sources said on Sunday.

The board, last month, had announced that it would be taking over the control of the Multan Sultans owing to the expiration of its ownership agreement on December 31, 2025.

The sources, back then, had said that under the proposed plan, the PCB was to manage the franchise for one year before handing over the franchise to a new owner through an auction in 2027.

If implemented, the arrangement would save the PCB around $4 million in a year, as it would not have to pay $3m from the central pool or an additional $1m in sponsorship funds. However, an audit firm’s report notes that the PCB would not receive the franchise fee for that year, which stands at $8.5m.

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 had remained strained over the past year, eventually reaching a point of no return.

Multan Sultans were originally awarded as the sixth PSL team to the Schon Group under a $5.2m agreement, making it the most expensive franchise at the time, double the price of Karachi Kings, which was acquired for $2.6m.

Sources say that the decision to auction Multan Sultans has been made as the PCB got “a good price” in the recent auction, and the inclusion of two new teams, namely Hyderabad and Sialkot, is pushing the number of teams in PSL 11 to eight.

Therefore, the board believes that there is no better time to sell Multan Sultans as well, and an open bidding will be held with an advertisement likely to be issued soon in this regard.

An official announcement will be made soon after reviewing the legal aspects, adding sources, saying that the board expects the franchise to be sold for a good price as well.