Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has praised Ali Tareen's contributions to Multan Sultans during a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, saying the board will welcome him if he wants to bid for one of the two new Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises.

 

"Ali Tareen has done a lot of work for Multan Sultans," Naqvi said. "If Ali Tareen wants to take a new team, we will welcome him."

 

The comments come more than a month after Tareen announced his departure from Multan Sultans on November 25, 2025. His exit followed public disputes with PSL management, during which he criticized the league's structure through podcasts and social media posts targeting specific officials. When the board sent Sultans a notice, Tareen tore it up on video and posted mocking commentary online.

 

Reports indicate the board asked Tareen to offer an unconditional apology and delete his social media posts, but he refused. The board subsequently offered contract renewals with revised fees to all six franchises except Sultans.

 

Naqvi announced that PCB will operate Multan Sultans directly for the upcoming season to ensure proper procedures. "We will run Multan Sultans ourselves to follow the proper rules," he said. "We will auction Multan Sultans after PSL ends."

 

The chairman said PCB will announce the team's head within the next ten days.

 

Multan Sultans currently pays an annual fee of 1.08 billion rupees, the highest in PSL. Foreign company valuations push this figure to 1.35 billion rupees.

 

PCB received significant interest in the two new franchises, with ten parties qualifying to bid. "The day we sell PSL's two new teams, we will succeed," Naqvi said. "Both teams will go for good numbers."

 

The new franchises reportedly could sell for 1.25 to 1.5 billion rupees each.

 

Naqvi also revealed that PCB has proposed moving PSL's start date from March 26 to March 23, Pakistan's national day. "If all franchises agree, we will start PSL from March 23," he said.

 

"Wasim Akram will be the auctioneer on the day of the auction," he said.

 

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will also perform a concert during the tournament.

 

The 11th edition of PSL will run until May 3, 2026, featuring eight teams for the first time in the tournament's history.

 

Multan Sultans joined PSL in 2017 as the sixth franchise before the third season. Schon Properties initially bought the team on an eight-year contract, but PCB terminated the agreement the following year over unpaid annual fees. The board temporarily managed all player and coach contracts before issuing tenders for new ownership rights.

 

In December 2018, Alamgir Khan Tareen and Ali Khan Tareen acquired ownership. Alamgir became sole owner in 2021. Following his death in 2023, Ali Tareen took over the management and led the franchise until his recent departure.