Ali Tareen reacts to PCB's advertisement for Multan Sultans' auction

KARACHI: Former owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans, Ali Tareen, made a cryptic response to the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) advertisement to attract parties interested in acquiring the ownership rights of the 2021 champions.

Taking to his official social media handles, Tareen posted a mirror selfie from a gym session, with the picture also featuring the PCB's advertisement to auction the franchise.

"When you find out your ex is getting remarried," Tareen captioned the picture.

His cryptic social media post came just hours after the PCB formally invited bids for the ownership rights of the Sultans, with the deadline for the submission of documents for technical proposals set for January 30.

Earlier, reports had suggested that the PCB was considering auctioning the Multan Sultans franchise following the strong valuations achieved in the recent sale of two new PSL teams.

Last month, the board announced that it would assume control of Multan Sultans after the expiry of the existing ownership agreement on 31 December 2025.

"Multan Sultans will be operated by the PCB this year. Once the PSL concludes, we will carry out the auction and put the franchise up for sale. For this season, the board will run the Sultans,” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had said in December last year.

Under the initial plan, the PCB was expected to operate the franchise for one year before putting it up for sale through an auction in 2027.

Had it been implemented, the arrangement was projected to save the board approximately $4 million annually, as it would not be required to contribute $3 million from the central revenue pool or an additional $1 million in sponsorship funding.

However, an audit report noted that the PCB would forgo the $8.5 million franchise fee for that year.