Ali Tareen will not renew his stake in Multan Sultans, ending a seven-year association that delivered one Pakistan Super League title and four straight finals. In a statement released on social media late on Tuesday, the 32-year-old confirmed he was stepping aside and, in doing so, aimed a clear parting shot at league bosses. He wrote he would “rather lose the team standing on my feet than run it from my knees”.
Key facts first. Five of the six current franchises have already signed fresh eight-year agreements with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Tareen’s refusal means the board must now secure a new owner for Multan just as it prepares to expand the competition from six to eight sides for PSL-11, scheduled for February 2026.
“Being part of this team has been one of the greatest honours of my life,” the statement continued. “Despite the financial losses year on year, I never once thought about walking away. The Sultans have always meant more to me than just numbers. And I have always been willing to go as far as needed to protect it.”
Those losses are understood to exceed PKR 1 billion across the last three seasons, although the Sultans’ on-field returns have been impressive: a maiden title in 2020 followed by three runners-up finishes. Through that period Tareen grew increasingly vocal about what he regarded as “a lack of transparency and vision” inside PSL headquarters. Earlier this year the PCB served him a legal notice demanding an apology and the deletion of critical posts. He replied with a tongue-in-cheek video, tore up the letter on camera and carried on tweeting.
A senior PCB administrator, speaking on background because negotiations remain sensitive, said the board had “gone out of its way” to offer compromise. “Everyone wants Multan to stay in stable hands,” the official told this writer. “But repeated public criticism left us little room. We still hope Ali reconsiders before the final deadline.”
That seems unlikely. Tareen maintains he was the only owner not to receive a formal renewal letter, effectively freezing him out of planning meetings. His public stance hardened over the summer, lawyers on both sides traded notes and, by last week, communication had broken down entirely.
How did it come to this? When Multan joined the league in 2018 the franchise belonged to Schon Group. They withdrew a year later amid mounting debts. Enter Alamgir and Ali Tareen, uncle and nephew, who paid a reported USD 6.3m annual fee to take control. Alamgir’s death in 2022 left Ali as sole proprietor.
That family history explains the emotion in yesterday’s farewell. “Please know that this team has always been much more than its owner,” Tareen wrote near the end of his note. “It belongs to you and to South Punjab. So whoever takes control of the Sultans next, please keep supporting them with the same passion. You can count on me to be…” – the message tailed off there, unfinished, a final sign perhaps of a relationship running on fumes.
Former Pakistan captain and television analyst Azhar Ali offered a sympathetic view. “Owners put in huge sums and, quite often, don’t see immediate returns,” he told Geo. “When respect is missing, money alone keeps no one happy.”
What happens next? Under league rules the PCB can either open a fresh tender or hold direct talks with shortlisted investors. Industry insiders predict a quick process, given the looming expansion and the brand value Multan built under Tareen. Even so, replacing a visible, locally rooted owner will not be straightforward.
Commercial consultant Sana Mir, who worked with the PSL until 2023, summed up the challenge. “Sponsors like certainty. Players like certainty. Right now Multan can’t give it, and that’s a headache the league didn’t need two months before the draft.”
For the fan base in South Punjab, however, the colours and crest remain. The squad that contested last season’s final is under central contract, and the coaching staff hold deals through 2026. From the outside little will change—except the handshake at the toss.
In cricket, as in any franchise sport, owners come and go. The lingering question is whether the public dispute between Tareen and the PCB leaves scars deeper than balance sheets show. The league’s credibility rests on calm governance; the Sultans’ success to date has thrived on precisely that. Over the next few weeks, both sides will discover how sturdy their foundations really are.
