Sahibzada Farhan & Mohsin Farhan in a collage. Credits - AFP
Games are coming thick and fast in the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2026), just like controversies in the league. The Multan Sultans are currently topping the points table, thanks to their enthralling opening pair of Sahibzada Farhan and Steve Smith.
The Sultans have won four out of five matches in the PSL 2026, with Farhan slamming 232 runs off five innings, including a majestic ton against Hyderabad Kingsmen.
The stylish opener has been the talk of the town; however, an unnecessary controversy has followed Multan Sultans and Sahibzada Farhan.
On Sunday, former Multan Sultans owner Ali Khan Tareen took to social media to applaud the opening pair of Farhan and Smith. However, what unfolded was implausible.
Multan Owner Labels Sahibzada Farhan an Accidental Selection
As PCB hosted the maiden PSL auctions earlier in January, Sialkot Stallionz sat at the buying table as one of the new franchises. However, just two months after its inception, Kamil Khan sold the franchise to Gohar Shah, who later renamed it Sultans.
After Multan defeated Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, Tareen appreciated the openers, who stitched a 71-run stand during the chase of 167 runs. On his post, Shah, who currently owns the Multan franchise, deemed Farhan as an ‘Accidental Pick’ by Sialkot Stallionz’s Kamil Khan.
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While replying to Tareen’s post, the current owner initially said ‘Fake News’, and then elaborated himself. According to Shah, the Stallionz weren’t planning to buy Farhan, but were just looking to raise the price for the Islamabad United, who previously had the opening batter.
He went on to praise the Sultans’ head coach, Tim Paine, who was also present on the auction table with the Stallionz. He credited the head coach for the acquisitions of Josh Phillipe, Ashton Turner, Shan Masood and Peter Siddle.
Gohar Shah alleges unpaid dues by Sialkot Stallionz
Gohar Shah further accused the Oz Developers-owned Sialkot Stallionz of failing to clear the dues of Tim Paine, Hassan Cheema, Usman Munir and Nabil for their work at the auction table.
He further alleged the Stallionz were not even planning to hire Paine as the head coach, and it was his brainchild to have the former Australia captain as the coach.
Ahead of the PSL 2026, CD Ventures, led by Gohar Shah, bought 98% shares of the Sialkot Stallionz after they went bankrupt in February. Thus, the franchise was rebranded as the Multan Sultans.
How has Multan Sultans fared in PSL 2026?
Nevertheless, the Sultans have had a terrific start to the season under the astute leadership of Paine and skipper Ashton Turner. They have won four on five, only losing to the defending champions, Lahore Qalandars, by 20 runs.
Apart from Farhan, Smith (144 runs) and Phillipe (139) have been the top contributors with the ball. While Arafat Minhas and Faisal Akram, with five wickets apiece, have been their top bowlers.
The Sultans will be in action vs the Peshawar Zalmi after a week-long break next Monday.
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