The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has started the process of selling the ownership rights of Multan Sultans ahead of the 11th season of the PSL. Notably, the board has released a formal notice inviting interested groups to take part in the auction, and bidders must submit their technical proposals by January 30.
The PCB recorded strong results in the recent auction of new PSL teams, which encouraged the board to explore further franchise changes. Two new teams were sold at the Jinnah Convention Centre, with FKS Group buying Hyderabad for PKR 1.75 billion, while OZ Developers secured Sialkot for PKR 1.85 billion.
PCB Invites Bids for Multan Sultans Franchise Ahead of PSL Season
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited bids for the franchise rights of Multan Sultans. Interested bidders must submit their technical proposals by January 30, and only those who meet the required criteria will move to the next stage of the process.
Former owner Ali Tareen announced in November that he was stepping away from the franchise. Following his exit, the PCB briefly considered running Multan Sultans on its own for the season but later decided to auction the team instead.
The Sultans were not part of the recent sale of two new teams, as the board had not finalized its plans at the time. According to ESPNcricinfo, senior officials from the PCB and the Pakistan Super League backed the auction proposal, with final approval granted at a later stage.
PSL Officials Expect Record Price as Multan Sultans Put Up for Sale
The report added that the Pakistan Super League officials believe this is the right time to sell Multan Sultans at a high price. Multan are an established team that have played eight PSL seasons and won the title in 2021, which makes the franchise more valuable than the newly added teams.
Because of this, league officials feel that selling the Sultans before the season could bring in the highest price among all franchises.
During the recent auction for the two new teams, several bidders dropped out as prices rose quickly. i2c stayed in the bidding race until late and placed offers as high as PKR 1.82 billion. Although i2c did not win then, it could be one of the leading bidders if it decides to bid for Multan Sultans.
PSL Faces Key Decisions as Multan Sultans Ownership Remains Unresolved
Ali Tareen had also withdrawn late from bidding on one of the two new PSL teams but said that he would return when Multan Sultans were put up for sale. The ownership issue is one of several matters still unresolved ahead of the next Pakistan Super League season.
The league has not announced a draft date yet because teams cannot finalise squads until Multan Sultans get a new owner. Notably, the addition of two new teams has caused disagreement over how many players existing franchises should be allowed to retain.
The league is also considering using an auction system instead of a draft, at least for the top player categories. All these topics are expected to be discussed at a PSL general council meeting scheduled for Friday.
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