Multan Sultans ex-owner shows interest in buying back the franchise [Source: X]In a major development ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 11, former Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen has expressed interest in buying back the franchise. This comes after the PCB officially decided to put Multan Sultans up for auction before the upcoming season, which is scheduled to begin on March 26.The PCB has already issued a tender inviting bids, asking interested parties to submit their technical proposals by January 30. Notably, the deadline for submitting bids is today, January 30 at 3 PM.PCB changes its stance on Multan Sultans ownershipEarlier, the PCB had briefly considered running the Multan Sultans franchise on its own for this season. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had hinted at this idea in December. Because of this plan, Multan Sultans were not included when two new PSL teams were auctioned in Islamabad.However, later the board changed its stance and decided to sell the franchise instead. According to Pakistan sports journalist Saleem Khaliq, the PCB is likely to earn more than Rs 200 crore from the sale. Meanwhile, several foreign investors have also shown strong interest, making the auction even more competitive.Independent committee to handle PSL player retentionsAs Multan Sultans currently do not have official owners, the PCB has appointed an independent committee to manage player retentions before the mega auction. This committee will operate until the new owners officially take over the franchise.It is worth mentioning that the PSL 11 player auction is set for February 11, and under the new rules, the committee will oversee the retention of four players from each category from the existing squad. Once the franchise is sold, the new owners will then be able to complete the rest of the squad during the auction.Why Multan Sultans are without ownersFor those unaware, Multan Sultans have been without owners since December 2025, when Ali Tareen officially stepped away from the franchise. Interestingly, Tareen also withdrew from bidding for the two new PSL teams because he wanted to focus on reclaiming Multan Sultans.After his exit, the PCB formally invited bids and advertised the franchise to attract potential buyers. Until the ownership matter is resolved, all key decisions will continue to be handled by the independent committee.PSL introduces a new auction systemAnother major change this season is the introduction of a new auction model, replacing the draft system used in previous PSL editions. Under the new rules, foreign players who featured last season will have their retention category fixed based on their registered base price.The current situation is partly the result of a public fallout between Ali Tareen and the PCB. Earlier in April, Tareen openly criticised the board over league expansion, revenue sharing, and transparency.In response, the PCB sent him a legal notice, accusing him of violating the franchise agreement. Tareen reacted by posting a sarcastic video apology on social media, where he tore the notice on camera. Later, when franchise agreements expired in December, Tareen refused to renew and announced his exit.It is important to note that the actual auction is expected to take place before the player auction on February 11, although the exact date has not yet been announced.
