- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Runs
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In this exclusive interview, Gohar Shah, the owner of Multan Sultans, opens up about his extraordinary journey from first‑class cricketer to PSL franchise owner. The young entrepreneur discusses bringing the Sultans back to the league, his philosophy of Total Cricket, the signing of Steve Smith and Ashton Turner, and his vision for representing South Punjab. He also reveals his unconventional approach to player welfare and the resilience that defines his leadership.
Key revelations include:
• South Punjab’s voice: “50 million people. They love cricket. It just didn’t feel right for a large part of our country to not have any representation.” - Gohar emphasized that representing South Punjab was a "no-brainer," citing his ancestral ties to the region and the need for its 50 million passionate fans to have representation.
• Financial turning point: “I couldn’t afford it up until 18 months ago.” - Gohar initially lost out in the auction for the Multan franchise. The original owners relocated the team to Rawalpindi, effectively removing the "Multan Sultans" name from the league.
• Resilience of the region: “We’ve fought famine. We’ve fought storms, floods, heat waves, and come back every single time.” - He later acquired a significant stake in the Sialkot Stallions. A key condition of his investment was that he be allowed to relocate the team back to Multan and revive the original brand.
• Total Cricket defined: “It’s called total cricket, where every player has a role to play, whether they’re playing on the field or off.” - Gohar is instilling a philosophy he calls "Total Cricket," where every player has a proactive, methodological role—whether batting, bowling, or fielding—aimed at attacking and squeezing the opposition at all times.
• Player‑first policy: “It will be the only franchise that will pay 100 percent of player salaries regardless of availability.” - In a radical shift for the league, he announced that Multan Sultans will be the only franchise to pay 100% of player salaries regardless of availability due to injury, aiming to remove player insecurity.
• Ownership freedom: “Since I’m not answerable to anyone, I have the final word.”
• Bounce‑back mentality: “Last year, our team finished last. We only won one game. All myself and the other South Punjabi people know is to bounce back.” - Despite the disappointment of losing home games in Multan due to external factors, Gohar remains focused on building a winning mentality and bouncing back from the team's bottom-place finish the previous year.
• Steve Smith’s impact: “The way he prepares, the way he practices, the way he speaks about the game. There’s so much for all of us to learn.” - He expressed immense pride in signing Steve Smith, noting that the Australian's preparation and professionalism provide an invaluable learning experience for the entire squad.
Watch full interview with Saj here:
Key revelations include:
• South Punjab’s voice: “50 million people. They love cricket. It just didn’t feel right for a large part of our country to not have any representation.” - Gohar emphasized that representing South Punjab was a "no-brainer," citing his ancestral ties to the region and the need for its 50 million passionate fans to have representation.
• Financial turning point: “I couldn’t afford it up until 18 months ago.” - Gohar initially lost out in the auction for the Multan franchise. The original owners relocated the team to Rawalpindi, effectively removing the "Multan Sultans" name from the league.
• Resilience of the region: “We’ve fought famine. We’ve fought storms, floods, heat waves, and come back every single time.” - He later acquired a significant stake in the Sialkot Stallions. A key condition of his investment was that he be allowed to relocate the team back to Multan and revive the original brand.
• Total Cricket defined: “It’s called total cricket, where every player has a role to play, whether they’re playing on the field or off.” - Gohar is instilling a philosophy he calls "Total Cricket," where every player has a proactive, methodological role—whether batting, bowling, or fielding—aimed at attacking and squeezing the opposition at all times.
• Player‑first policy: “It will be the only franchise that will pay 100 percent of player salaries regardless of availability.” - In a radical shift for the league, he announced that Multan Sultans will be the only franchise to pay 100% of player salaries regardless of availability due to injury, aiming to remove player insecurity.
• Ownership freedom: “Since I’m not answerable to anyone, I have the final word.”
• Bounce‑back mentality: “Last year, our team finished last. We only won one game. All myself and the other South Punjabi people know is to bounce back.” - Despite the disappointment of losing home games in Multan due to external factors, Gohar remains focused on building a winning mentality and bouncing back from the team's bottom-place finish the previous year.
• Steve Smith’s impact: “The way he prepares, the way he practices, the way he speaks about the game. There’s so much for all of us to learn.” - He expressed immense pride in signing Steve Smith, noting that the Australian's preparation and professionalism provide an invaluable learning experience for the entire squad.
Watch full interview with Saj here:
