PCB to take over this franchise ownership for upcoming PSL edition: Report

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be taking over the Pakistan Super League team Multan Sultans for an interim period after the current owner agreement will be finished by the end of 2025. The PCB will run the team for one season in 2026 and then sell it to the new owner via an auction in 2027, as per the official information provided.

The current agreement with the group owning the Multan Sultans ends on December 31, 2025, and a final policy decision from PCB is expected within a week. Reports suggest that the board has already laid out a transition plan to keep the franchise running smoothly with no interruption to the league.

If the suggested plan goes ahead, the PCB-operated model may provide financial relief to the board in the short term. The PCB would save about $3 million from the central revenue pool and another $1 million in sponsorship allocations by being in charge of the franchise directly. On the other hand, there is a downside as well. According to an audit report, the PCB would have to give up the annual franchise fee of $8.5 million for the year of takeover, which means the overall financial impact will need to be carefully weighed.

Ownership exit marks the end of a chapter as PCB introduces temporary management before the 2027 auction

This event took place after Ali Tareen, Multan Sultans owner, made a public announcement in November that he was leaving the franchise. Reports say that over the past year, the relations between the PCB and the ownership group had deteriorated continuously until it reached a stage where it was not possible to continue.

ALSO SEE: Watch: Travis Head celebrates fourth successive century in Adelaide during 3rd Ashes 2025/26 Test

Multan Sultans have experienced a complex ownership saga. The franchise was first given to the Schon Group as the sixth PSL team for $5.2 million, making it the most expensive franchise then. However, after the first season, financial problems resulted in missed payments, which led the PCB to cancel the agreement.

In the month of December 2018, Alamgir Tareen together with his nephew Ali Tareen bought the franchise for the amount of $6.3 million. Thereafter, Multan Sultans have turned up to be the most reliable and strong contenders for the PSL titles by consistently challenging the other teams and acquiring a good number of fans.

The situation of the PCB getting involved is a step towards having stability in the franchise while the long-term ownership of the franchise will be determined at the 2027 auction.