“I’m giving you breaking news: Multan Sultans haven’t paid their fees, so the PCB is terminating their contract.
This goes back to 2018 when a friend told me about it. I reached out to other sources and found out that the owners were stunned by the hefty fees. They had bought the team in a rush for $5.2 million annually, but now they realized it was a massive loss-making deal. So, they wanted to back out. I contacted an official from the Sultans, and their response confirmed the news was accurate, though it seemed they didn’t want it publicized at that moment or perhaps wanted to spin it their way. Anyway, I didn’t hold back and broke the news, which caused a storm in cricket circles. The board immediately issued a press release announcing the termination of the contract. After that, a new party bought the team, and things got back on track. I learned from my sources that Multan Sultans’ contract is about to be terminated again, and the PCB has already issued a notice. I broke the news, and what happened next is in front of you. The real damage from this controversy is to the PSL and Pakistan cricket, and the board’s shortcomings are also to blame. They need to make serious efforts to make the league a big brand. The flaws that have come to light should be addressed. They should create a permanent PSL team that isn’t affected by changes in the board, and operations should continue seamlessly. Initially, this fight seemed staged, but now it’s clear it’s not. The question now is, with six franchises in the PSL, why is it always Multan Sultans that faces a crisis? The main reason is the exorbitant fees. If you combine the fees of the other four existing franchises, they barely match Multan’s. But the question arises: why didn’t the Tareen family learn from the Shaun Properties case? How did they buy a team deemed a terrible mistake at $5.2 million for $6.35 million? Thank goodness former chairman Ramiz Raja locked the dollar rate at 170.5 a few years ago. Imagine what would’ve happened if they had to pay at today’s rate of 283. Even if someone has the wealth of Qarun, they spend money wisely. If you have a billionaire friend, try asking them for a loan of a few lakh rupees—they’ll tell you such a sob story about their own crises that you’ll feel sad and think about giving *them* money instead. Why would a big businessman make a loss-making deal? In the case of Multan Sultans, it might have been about ego initially. Rumors started circulating in the market that another party also wanted to buy the team, possibly a rival. At that time, they decided to acquire the team at any cost. Later, they realized they played the wrong shot. As long as Alamgir Tareen was alive, things kept moving. Initially, Ali was with his uncle, but later some issues arose, and the matter escalated. He then distanced himself from the franchise. After Alamgir Tareen’s passing, Ali Tareen became the owner again. Before the tenth edition, he started saying things about the PSL that the authorities didn’t like. The issue escalated from a podcast to tweets. His relationship with CEO Salman Naseer doesn’t seem cordial either. They also hired an official who was previously associated with Multan Sultans, which further soured relations. The PSL bore the brunt of these issues. Matters that should’ve been discussed in a conference room were being aired on public platforms. If you look at the reality, some of Ali Tareen’s points weren’t wrong. Truly, 1/2
The league's affairs are facing delays, and there is significant room for improvement as well. However, as stakeholders, they should have used the appropriate platform. At times, the choice of words was not befitting either. It would have been better if these suggestions were given in meetings. If the shortcomings had been pointed out behind closed doors, the matter would not have escalated to this point. At a time when the PSL's valuation was ongoing, franchise agreements were about to be renewed, two new teams were to be added, and new sponsorship and broadcast deals were in the works, you have devalued the PSL yourself and spared no effort in bringing it down to the level of the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka leagues. The board says that the Sultans' intention was precisely this, so they could reacquire the team at a lower fee during rebidding, but was it necessary to create such a spectacle for this? Ali Tareen says that the board should invite him for tea and discuss matters, while sarcastically tearing up the notice. If it were Najam Sethi or Zaka Ashraf in front of him, perhaps the tactic might have worked, but can they pressure someone as powerful as Mohsin Naqvi in this manner? Some people say that Ali Tareen did not gain as much fame from the PSL as he has from this controversy. His video has already been viewed by millions. Before the next election, his political profile has been established, but our public's memory is weak—will they even remember all this by then? Look at the coverage by Indian media; it has defamed Pakistan by reporting on this conflict extensively. Now, if the Sultans' agreement is terminated and Ali Tareen is banned, he will present himself as a messiah of Pakistan cricket who has been wronged. However, the real issue is about the fees. Let's see whether the conflict escalates further or if influential political figures mediate a resolution. I tried to contact Ali Tareen to understand his perspective beyond the videos and tweets, but he did not respond to the message. He believes the board leaked the news through me, otherwise, no one would have known about the notice for a month. Interestingly, a few days ago, when I pointed out the delays and shortcomings in PSL affairs, a top league official said that Ali Tareen had planted that news. Well, now let's see which way the camel sits. By tearing up the notice in Shah Rukh Khan's style, Ali Tareen may have increased his followers, but he has certainly closed the doors for a comeback. Now, only a heavyweight figure can break open the door to facilitate his re-entry. 2/2”
