Legal notices, lip-syncs, and apologies: let’s unpack Ali Tareen’s clash with PSL management

WEB DESK: Ali Khan Tareen, son of industrialist and former MNA Jahangir Khan Tareen, is the owner of Multan Sultans – one of the six franchises in Pakistan Super League (PSL). Ali, along with his uncle, Alamgir Tareen, purchased the franchise in December 2018 after the previous owner, Schon Properties, failed to pay the franchise fee. In May 2025, Alamgir Tareen passed away, leaving the reins of Sultan to Ali Tareen.

Ali Tareen has never been one to mince words when it comes to cricket or the management of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Known for his candid presence on social media – particularly on X (formerly Twitter) – the Multan Sultans owner often shares his excitement, frustrations, and critiques of the league. In recent months, especially around the time of PSL 10 in May this year, Tareen openly voiced sharp criticism of the tournament’s management, not pulling any punches.

However, last night (Thursday), another development came to light, which now has Pakistani tweeps in a frenzy. Ali Tareen posted a video on his social media profiles, sharing that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sent a legal notice to Tareen, demanding a public apology for all his critical comments, and threatening a life-time ban in case the apology is not received.

Ali Tareen apologised. But in his own way. It was packed in a full punch of roast! He turned the board’s demand for retraction into a pointed critique of its management.

Tareen outlined the PCB’s ultimatum before launching into a sardonic commentary on the board’s communication style and leadership. The PCB has accused Tareen of violating multiple clauses of the PSL franchise agreement, demanding a public apology and warning of possible contract termination and a ban from league activities if he failed to comply.

In response, Ali Tareen said that he has never received “a single call, message, email, or invitation” to discuss concerns directly, questioning why the issue was escalated to a legal notice instead of a conversation. “If you were more competent, you would know these matters aren’t handled this way,” he said, adding that the PCB management is being surrounded by “yes-men” and is therefore unable to handle criticism.

Tareen insisted that his lawyers found no reason to apologise but said he would do so “as the bigger person,” and “for the sake of improving the PSL.” What followed was a tongue-in-cheek list of apologies that doubled as a critique of the league’s operations.

He mockingly apologised for criticizing the opening ceremony, praising the “amazing lip-sync performances” and conceding that expecting the event to “start and finish on time, with working microphones,” was “too much to ask.”

He also apologised for being “10 minutes late to a Zoom meeting” – which is made part of the formal charges in the PCB’s legal notice – and for his previous comments about the PSL being free of “bugs,” sarcastically referencing the “flawless logistics” that placed “half the team in one hotel and the other half in another.”

Concluding on a seemingly conciliatory note, Tareen suggested a more constructive approach, “Call me over, offer me a cup of tea and a few biscuits, and let’s talk. We can agree to stop public criticism and focus on fixing things together.”

The video ended with Tareen dramatically tearing up the PCB’s legal notice, signing off with the line, “I hope you like my apology video.”

Ali Tareen has been a source of constant stream of information coming out of the PSL, and he has also been very generous with his opinion of those news. Here’s one of the latest gossip nuggets that he dropped earlier this month.

Multan Sultans has also released an official statement on the incident, saying, “Since taking over the Sultans, Ali Tareen has invested billions of rupees and personally carried losses of over PKR 7 billion, while building academies and creating opportunities for young cricketers across Pakistan. Every statement he has made has been in the best interest of the PSL, urging the league to aim higher and do better.”