LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will bid for Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, following strong valuations in the recent sale of the two new teams, sources told Geo Super on Sunday.

PCB announced last month that it will take over Multan Sultans after its ownership contract expires on December 31, 2025.

Under the plan, the board would have to operate the franchise for one year before putting it up for sale through auction in 2027.

If implemented, the arrangement is expected to save the PCB $4 million a year as it does not need to provide $3 million from the central committee or $1 million in sponsorship funds.

However, an audit report noted that the board would waive $8.5 million in franchise fees for that year.

In November, Multan Sultan owner Ali Dareen announced via social media that he was stepping down from the franchise. Sources indicate that relations between Tareen and the PCB had soured over the past year and eventually reached a point of no return.

Multan Sultans were originally offered to the Schon Group as the sixth PSL team under a $5.2 million deal, making them the most expensive franchise at the time—more than double the acquisition cost of Karachi Kings, which was $2.6 million.

The decision to bid for the team comes as the PCB received strong ratings in the recent sales of two new franchises, Hyderabad and Sialkot, bringing the total number of teams in PSL 11 to eight.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed during a media conference on December 28 that Multan Sultans will be fielding for the upcoming 11th edition of PSL scheduled from March 26 to May 3, 2026, before starting the bidding process.

“Multan Sultans will be run by the PCB this year. After the PSL is over, we will conduct an auction and sell the franchise. This season, the board will run the Sultans,” Naqvi said.

He also said that an interim administrative structure would be appointed soon.

“We will appoint an acting captain to oversee the team in the next eight to ten days. A professional cricketer will also be roped in to manage Multan Sultans for this season,” he said.

The PSL, which started with five teams in 2016 and expanded to six in 2018, is set to grow further with the addition of two new franchises for its 11th edition.

In a historic auction held at the Jinnah Convention Center on Thursday, FKS Group and OZ Developers acquired the ownership of the Hyderabad and Sialkot franchises for Rs1.75 billion and Rs1.85 billion respectively.

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