What's the problem with Multan Sultans?

Mohammad Rizwan's team was the first side to crash out of HBL PSL10

KARACHI:

This dates back to 2017, when, after the initial success of the PSL, it was decided to add a new team. For the sixth team, PCB signed a deal with Schon Group worth $5.2 million—double the price of the then-most expensive team, Karachi Kings ($2.6 million). However, after just their first season, Schon realized they had made a mistake. When the fee wasn't paid, PCB canceled the agreement.Pakistan Super League match tickets

In December 2018, Alamgir Tareen, along with his nephew Ali Tareen, bought the team for $6.3 million. Their main aim was simply to acquire the franchise, perhaps without fully considering how they'd cover this higher amount, especially when Schon had already backed out at $5.2 million. Nevertheless, this was a big group with political considerations too, so they absorbed the losses.

In 2021, due to certain reasons, Alamgir Tareen became the sole owner. Whatever happened between uncle and nephew are not of our concern. In 2023, after Alamgir's passing, Ali Tareen again became the owner. Currently, the league's 10th season is underway, and even before it started, Ali Tareen began criticizing the financial model. Suddenly, he started pointing out massive flaws in the league and lamenting financial losses.

Surprisingly, PCB remained a silent spectator during this time, likely because Ali Tareen belongs to an influential family. He even warned that if the valuation led to higher fees, he would seek rebidding. In another interview, he demanded that Multan's franchise fee be brought down to the same level as Karachi's.

Interestingly, back in December when PCB asked the franchises if they wanted to retain ownership, Multan—along with the others—answered yes. Relations between Salman Naseer and Ali Tareen are also far from ideal. Naseer is now the league's CEO, which complicates things further.

After the 10th season, the cricket board will conduct a valuation of all teams, and a minimum 25% fee increase is expected. This could push Multan's annual fee from 1.08 billion rupees to about 1.35 billion—clearly a loss-making deal. Ali's complaint might not be entirely wrong, but the timing and tone of his remarks are questionable. His statements have hurt the league's value. Ali Tareen should have voiced these concerns in the Governing Council meetings, but we hear he keeps his mic muted there.

Another option was to sit at the negotiation table and explain that his uncle had bought the team, but he couldn't sustain it at this fee and needed reconsideration. While contractually, a fee reduction isn't possible, Salman Naseer is a skilled lawyer who could have found a solution.

So, why is Ali Tareen being so aggressive? Recently, two PCB directors, Nadeem Khan and Sami Burney, joined Multan Sultans. Did they give certain advice? Did someone suggest that pressuring PCB through public statements might work? People seem to forget that the current chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, is not someone who yields to pressure. Maybe they've shown leniency out of courtesy for now, but that won't last long.

This time, Multan Sultans participated in the PSL half-heartedly. The squad was unbalanced, and a string of defeats overshadowed their past successes. If team valuation weren't based on all 10 seasons, Multan would lag behind. It's odd: the team that built a strong brand now faces the biggest losses. Their franchise fee may rise even more in valuations, while those who sit idle all year and only show up during the league will benefit.Pakistan Super League match tickets

Ali Tareen's statements have harmed the PSL more than the team's poor performance. You've never seen IPL owners badmouthing their league. The question arises: why did you buy such an expensive team in the first place? Why stay silent while enduring losses, only to complain now after 10 years? PSL franchise owners should realize that they already had wealth—this league gave them celebrity status. How many South Punjab politicians do you know? How many businesspeople's names are familiar to you? But the entire world knows the PSL owners' full history. Wherever they go, fans take selfies with them. Many have likely made money from the league too.

The real credit goes to those who took risks when no one knew if PSL would even survive—Atif Rana, Sameen Rana, Javed Afridi, Nadeem Omar, Ali Naqvi, and Salman Iqbal. Those who came later had to pay higher fees.

Now, two new teams are set to join next year. After Ali Tareen's remarks, will anyone even buy a team for $6.3 million? They might ask: if Multan Sultans are losing so much, how will we recover our costs? One way is for PCB to sell Multan's team at a high price during rebidding, which would raise prices for the next two teams as well. This league was supposed to grow thanks to its owners, but unfortunately, except for a few, others didn't play an active role. Now new deals are due, and the current situation will cause damage. Until the league grows bigger, higher revenues are unlikely. To make it bigger, everyone must stop complaining and sit together to find new solutions. If you can't do that, let the team go—believe me, many are ready to take over. The decision is yours—just don't destroy the league.