The Multan Sultans owners will bid for a new team in PSL 2026, while the PCB runs the franchise this year. Here's why.
Ahead of the 2026 edition of the Pakistan Super League, the league is set to expand to eight teams from the current number of six. The team auction, which will also be broadcast live on January 8, will see interested parties bid for the rights to the two new teams.
However, there is a slight spanner in the works with the situation around the ownership of the Multan Sultans, a franchise which has been part of the PSL for eight seasons.
What is the situation with Multan Sultans' ownership?
Following a rift with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Sultans owner Ali Khan Tareen announced in November 2025 that he would not be renewing his ownership rights for the franchise, which were due to expire at the end of the calendar year. "I would rather lose this team while standing on my feet than run it from my knees. So, this is goodbye," he wrote on social media.
While Tareen confirmed he walked away, the PSL also added that an extension was not offered. "I can very comfortably share with you the fact that we felt [there were] certain breaches of the franchise agreement, due to which we did not offer a renewal to the previous owners of Multan Sultans," PSL CEO Salman Naseer told Wisden.com.
Read more here: Latest ICC T20I team rankings: Updated men's table ahead of SL vs PAK T20I series
Effectively, this has left the PSL needing to fill an ownership gap for three teams, instead of just the two new franchises. But despite there being widespread interest in the Sultans from prospective owners, Tareen's withdrawal being so close to the new season meant incorporating them into the team auction was a logistical challenge.
"After a 10 year period, we were supposed to go undergo a valuation exercise in which an independent expert would come in and revalue the rights," Naseer said. "There's a formula in the contract, which then allows for the compliant franchises to be offered renewal rights at a revised franchise fee.
"So that renewal offer then went on to those other five who've renewed their contracts, and with respect to Multan Sultans, we didn't offer it. And then for this particular year, there is the consensus to sort of own the team ourselves, and then tender it at a later stage."
Naseer did confirm that ownership of the Sultans could be offered later in 2026 as well, but as part of a separate process.
How can the Multan Sultans owners bid for a new franchise?
As part of the team auction process, the PSL evaluated prospective owners on certain technical criteria, before shortlisting a few to participate in the financial bidding. Naseer confirmed that the erstwhile owners of the Multan Sultans are minority shareholders in another group that satisfied the league's technical criteria and so are now allowed to take part in the bidding.
The entire process has led to a unique situation arising, where these owners could end up with a different team in PSL 2026 while the PCB runs the Multan Sultans "very professionally", in Naseer's words.
The winning bidders for the two new franchises at Thursday's auction will have the option of basing their franchise in a city from a pre-decided list of six cities; Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
