Ali Tareen posts three-word message after Multan franchise renamed Rawalpindi

Ali Tareen, former owner of the Multan Sultans franchise—recently renamed Rawalpindi—shared a brief yet meaningful message following the franchise auction held earlier today.

Tareen, who was present during the bidding process but did not place any bids, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “Janoob Ki Pehchan.”

Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise was sold to Walee Technologies for a record Rs2.45 billion after a heated bidding war. 

The auction began at a base price of PKR 1.82 billion, with CD Ventures, Particle Igniter and Walee Technologies competing for ownership. 

After intense bidding, Walee Technologies emerged successful with the highest-ever bid in PSL history.

Subsequently, the new owners announced the franchise’s renaming from Multan Sultans to Rawalpindi, citing their childhood association with the city as the reason behind the change.

The auction ceremony was attended by PCB chairman Najam Sethi, legendary former Pakistan batter Zaheer Abbas, and several other prominent figures from the cricketing fraternity.

Multan Sultans were inducted into the PSL in 2017 and were initially owned by the Schon Group. After one season, the PCB terminated the contract, following which Ali Tareen formally took over the franchise and owned it for seven years.

However, strained relations between Tareen and the PCB resulted in him not renewing the 10-year ownership agreement, leading to a fresh auction. 

The PCB had accused Tareen of breaching multiple clauses of the contract and demanded a public apology along with a retraction of his statements.