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Ali Tareen (L) and Mohsin Naqvi (R) (Source: AFP)
The discarded ex-owner of Multan Sultans, Ali Tareen, has come up with a big hit on the nerves of the Mohsin Naqvi-led PCB and their franchise league, PSL. Notably, everyone in Pakistan's cricketing circles was curious about Ali Tareen’s next step after a ‘bad taste’ exit from PSL.
After a direct rift with PCB on PSL for the months, Ali Tareen’s team, Multan Sultans’ contract was terminated, followed by his exit from the entire ecosystem of the league.
In what seems to be a shocking development for Mohsin Naqvi and the PSL administration, Tareen has announced his own ‘Tapeball Championship’ in Pakistan.
“It’s a different world of cricket” - Ali Tareen on Tapeball Championship
Tareen made this announcement public on his official social media. He shared updates about his new brainchild and the championship on various social media platforms.
“I have always been fascinated with the world of Tape Ball Cricket. Eik alag hi duniya hai (It’s a different world of cricket). Time to get more involved. And make it more mainstream,” said Ali Tareen in a video post he shared from his official X handle last week on Thursday.
Apart from this, the young businessman also elaborated in detail about the Tape Ball Championship in a social media post. In this post, he also named some of the famous Tape Ball players in Pakistan’s grassroots cricketing circuit. He also revealed the dates of the tournament.
“Tapeball is the most played, most watched, and most accessible sport in Pakistan. Yet, despite its massive scale and cultural footprint, it remains largely informal and under-commercialised,” wrote Tareen in his LinkedIn post.
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“I’ve spent years watching this talent from the sidelines. Now, I’m stepping in as a stakeholder to help bridge the gap between street cricket and professional sporting standards, he added later.
Furthermore, the 37-year-old also revealed the dates of the tournament, alongside categorically praising the renowned tapeball players in Pakistan.
“We are officially launching the Pakistan Tape Ball Championship (Feb 28 - March 7). The goal is to create a sustainable system for our grassroots legends – like Taimoor Mirza and Fahad Mia Channu – to perform on a global-standard stage,” he said.
The ‘PSL feud’ between Ali Tareen and PCB that went beyond limits
For the unversed, Tareen took over the ownership of the Multan Sultans after his uncle and ex-owner, Alamgir Khan Tareen, passed away in 2023. The team was first taken over by the Tareen family in 2018.
Everything seemed smooth in the PSL contract and in relations between Ali Tareen and Mohsin Naqvi's PCB before the former left everyone shocked with an open criticism of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In the early part of 2025, Tareen called out PCB’s managerial principles in PSL, stressing the lack of transparency, fragmented communication, and poor communication. He also termed the Mohsin Naqvi-led management's mindset ‘mediocre’ in terms of organising the league.
A criticism by Tareen on a public platform didn’t sit well with PCB, which issued a seven-page legal notice to him. The board alleged that he breached his franchise agreement. PCB also dismissed his allegations, calling them “false, malicious, baseless, and defamatory”.
What further fuelled the controversy was Ali Tareen’s reaction to PCB’s notice, as he was seen tearing it in a video shared on his official social media handles. He also alleged that PCB breached the agreement by failing to disclose the financial valuations.
Eventually, he announced that he would no longer be the owner of the Multan Sultans and would not be part of the PSL in the future, after his contract was not renewed.
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