Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has addressed questions surrounding the rebranding of Multan Sultans after the franchise was acquired by Walee Technologies in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) auction on Monday.

 

Walee Technologies secured the former Multan Sultans franchise for PKR 2.45 billion at an auction held at the Expo Center in Lahore. Five companies took part in the bidding process.

 

Following the auction, the new owner confirmed that the team will no longer operate as Multan Sultans. The franchise has been rebranded as Rawalpindi, making it the most expensive team in PSL history.

 

After the bidding concluded, Mohsin Naqvi was asked whether the name change was deliberately made due to past issues with former owner Ali Tareen. He was also questioned about whether such decisions could happen in international cricket formats like ODIs.

 

Naqvi rejected the idea that the decision was personal or politically motivated.

 

“First of all, I personally have a lot of love for Multan. When that team was taken away from me, my heart genuinely became very sad. It was our own brand, and now we will definitely think about what to do with that brand going forward,” he said.

 

He clarified that the PCB had no authority to dictate the name or identity of the franchise after the auction.

 

“As far as spending 2.45 billion rupees is concerned, I could not dictate whether the team should be called Multan Sultans or not. I had no control over that,” Naqvi explained.

 

The PCB chairman also revealed that the board initially planned to auction the franchise for just one year but later changed its decision.

 

“Our original plan was to keep it for one year only. Then we reconsidered because we felt the market environment was already active. We already had five or six teams in place, so we decided to link it with them and move forward with the auction plan," he said.

 

It is worth noting that the PCB earlier sold two new PSL teams, Hyderabad for Rs1.75 billion and Sialkot for Rs1.85 billion.

 

Naqvi added that their were two viewpoints regarding the brand identity.

 

"One was that Multan Sultans is a very old and established brand. The other view was that the brand had been damaged. But for me, Multan remains just as dear, and we will think of something going forward, InshaAllah," he elaborated. 

 

The franchise became available after former owner Ali Tareen decided not to renew his contract in November 2025 due to strained relations with the PCB. His company, Deharki Sugar Mills (DSM), appeared on the list of bidders but did not place any bids during the auction.

 

Multan Sultans remain one of the most successful teams in PSL history. They won their maiden title in 2021 under captain Mohammad Rizwan after defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the final. The team then reached the final in the next three seasons, finishing as runners-up each time.