The Pakistan Cricket Board is quietly re-examining its earlier plan to wait until after PSL 11 before putting Multan Sultans on the market. Senior board and league officials have held a string of meetings this week, and sources indicate they now want the franchise off their books “as soon as legally possible”. A final nod still has to come from chairman Mohsin Naqvi, but the mood at Gaddafi Stadium has plainly shifted.
What changed? The eye-catching sums fetched by the two expansion teams at last Thursday’s auction. Hyderabad went for PKR 1.75 billion and Sialkot for PKR 1.85 billion – almost triple the fee Lahore Qalandars paid when the league launched. Those numbers, senior PSL staff argue, make this the perfect window to cash in on an outfit that already owns a trophy (2021) and eight seasons of brand recognition.
“If you look at the stage, it’s all set,” PSL chief executive Salman Naseer told reporters after the auction. “Stage saja hua hai, Multan bhi announce kar dein.” Naqvi laughed, replying that he had personally taken on the challenge of running the franchise to show it could turn a profit. Naseer, only half-joking, promised he would keep nudging the chairman to sell before a ball is bowled this spring.
No firm decision yet, but time is tight. PSL 11 begins on 26 March and the league has still not confirmed whether player recruitment will run as a draft or a straight auction, or how many cricketers each existing side can retain. Multan, under interim PCB control since former owner Ali Tareen’s agreement expired on 31 December, has no head coach or support staff in place. The board had originally cited PPRA rules – essentially public-tender regulations – as the reason Multan could not be bundled into last week’s sale. Advertising requirements, officials said, made it impossible.
Naqvi laid out that timeline in December, stating: “As soon as the PSL ends, we will auction the franchise off, and in the next eight to ten days, we will appoint an acting head to run the franchise.” Those eight to ten days came and went without an appointment. Behind the scenes, some executives argued the board should sit tight, run the side for one season, prove it can make money, and then go back to market in a year’s time, possibly at an even higher fee. The headline figures for Hyderabad and Sialkot have, for now, quietened that camp.
Market watchers think Multan could command well over PKR 2 billion, given its on-field profile and ready-made fan base in south Punjab. “An established team with a title win is a different animal to a brand-new licence,” a franchise adviser said. “You’re not starting from scratch with sponsorships or player connections.”
The caveat: rushing a sale means ticking off several legal and operational boxes in barely two months. Shortcuts are unlikely, insiders insist, because any slip could invite litigation from bidders or current PSL stakeholders. And if the sale stalls until after the tournament, the board will still need coaching staff, commercial partners and a playing squad in place well before 26 March.
A compromise is being floated: the PCB could publish an intent-to-sell notice immediately, run the tender parallel to the season, and sign the deal in principle, with ownership transferring once the final is done. That would satisfy procurement rules while still letting the board ride the current enthusiasm for PSL assets.
Either way, Multan players should brace for uncertainty. Retention rules, salary caps and even team colours could change hands in a matter of weeks. One current squad member admitted the limbo is unsettling but remains pragmatic. “You sign up knowing this league moves fast,” he said. “As players we just hope whoever takes over backs the cricket side.”
For now, all options sit on Naqvi’s desk. The chairman is known to hold his cards late, yet the numbers on offer may prove irresistible. In a league still hunting financial stability, a quick, lucrative exit for Multan Sultans might be hard to turn down.
