Multan Sultans left out as renewal offers issued to franchises

LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has issued renewal offers and updated franchise fee structures to five of its six teams, but Multan Sultans owner Ali Khan Tareen has been left off the list, deepening an already tense standoff between the franchise and league management.

A PSL spokesperson confirmed that renewal packages had been dispatched to “all satisfied franchises,” while a Multan Sultans representative said the team received no such correspondence. According to officials from other teams, the league followed up Thursday’s owners’ meeting by extending 10-year renewal options, but the Sultans were excluded.

Sources say the Sultans were invited only to discussions regarding scheduling and operations, and did not attend the meeting about financial matters, a division that now appears to reflect the widening rift between Tareen and PSL leadership.

A DISPUTE MONTHS IN THE MAKING

Tareen’s omission comes after months of escalating tension between him and the PSL/PCB hierarchy. In recent months, especially around PSL 10, Tareen repeatedly criticised league management over lack of transparency, communication failures, and operational missteps.

The conflict peaked in October when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a legal notice accusing Tareen of violating PSL agreements and demanding a public apology under threat of a lifetime ban. Tareen responded with a satirical apology video, mocking lip-sync performances at the opening ceremony, ridiculing scheduling delays, and at one point tearing up the PCB’s notice on camera.

The PCB refused to accept the apology, and the relationship has appeared strained ever since.

RENEWALS, RISING FEES, AND EXPANSION PLANS

Franchises that received renewal offers now have 10 days to decide. The new annual fee is expected to rise by at least 25 per cent, part of what PSL officials describe as an expansion-driven restructuring of the league’s financial model.

This year, the PSL plans to add two new teams, expanding the tournament to eight sides for the 2026 season, scheduled for April–May. Following cities are under consideration, and two out of these will be selected following ongoing evaluations:

• Hyderabad
• Sialkot
• Muzaffarabad
• Faisalabad
• Gilgit
• Rawalpindi

UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR MULTAN SULTANS

Without a renewal offer in hand, Multan Sultans’ future in the PSL remains unclear. Tareen, who took full control of the franchise after the death of his uncle Alamgir Tareen in 2025, has said he has invested billions into the team and its cricket development programs, and has claimed to have absorbed over Rs 7 billion in losses.

The franchise maintains that Tareen’s critiques stem from a desire to “improve PSL standards,” while PSL officials argue that the owner has breached conduct clauses.

With the clock ticking on renewal deadlines and league expansion on the horizon, the standoff between Ali Tareen and the PSL may now determine whether the Multan Sultans continue as part of Pakistan’s premier cricket tournament.