The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to run the Multan Sultans franchise on its own for the Pakistan Super League 2026 season, instead of selling it to a new owner immediately.

Islamabad, December 28: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced that it is taking control of the Pakistan Super League's (PSL) most controversial team, the Multan Sultans. PCB will run the team in the upcoming PSL 2026 and will auction the team after this season 11 concludes.

As per reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to run the Multan Sultans franchise on its own for the Pakistan Super League 2026 season, instead of selling it to a new owner immediately.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said the board will appoint an acting head and bring in former cricketers and experts to manage the team for the league's 11th season, after which the franchise will be auctioned.

Naqvi explained that Multan Sultans could not be sold along with the two new PSL teams, which are set to be auctioned in Islamabad on January 8, due to procedural timelines and the league starting in late March.

The move follows the exit of former owner Ali Tareen, who stepped away after a public dispute with PSL management. While the PCB has taken direct control of a team for the first time in PSL history, Naqvi said the board remains open to Tareen bidding for one of the new franchises once the auction process begins.

Multan Sultans have seen many ownership changes over the years, making them one of the most talked-about teams in the PSL. In 2018, Schon Properties left the team after just one season, after which the PCB took control and handled the player draft.

Later that same year, the Tareen Group bought the franchise and ran it for several years. In 2025, the PCB again took over the team following disagreements with the owners. The board has now said it will sell the Multan Sultans to a new owner after PSL 11 in 2026.