“Owner of Multan Sultans Levels Serious Allegations Against PCB Over PSL Management”

Lahore: Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen has once again taken a strong stance against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), accusing them of mismanaging the Pakistan Super League (PSL). During a practice session of Multan Sultans in Karachi, Tareen addressed the media, emphasizing that his objective was not to criticize the board, but to wake them up from their complacency.
Tareen highlighted the current state of the PSL, suggesting that if the league continues to be run the way it currently is, it will only decline. He pointed out that if the franchise owners don’t voice their concerns, how can they expect the league to progress? According to Tareen, the PSL administrators seem to think that improving commentary or increasing the presence of neutral umpires will boost the league’s popularity, but he believes that this is not the solution.
Recalling the early days of the PSL, Tareen mentioned that when the league returned to Pakistan and the matches were held in Karachi, the stadiums were packed. However, he noted a significant decline in crowd attendance, raising the question of why this was happening. Tareen called for a dialogue to address the issue and attract more fans to the Karachi matches. He criticized the PCB for not holding any meetings to discuss ways to address the situation, and instead, the board had reduced the number of PSL games in Karachi as a “solution.”
Tareen also criticized the PCB’s franchise rental model, stating that owners have to pay rent each year to retain ownership of their teams. He pointed out that unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL), there are no opportunities for foreign investment in the PSL, making the business model less appealing for franchise owners.
In response to Tareen’s statements, a senior official from the PCB strongly refuted the claims, accusing Tareen of attempting to stir controversy. The official stated that the board has the authority to take disciplinary action against franchise owners under the PSL code of conduct but refrained from doing so to avoid damaging the league’s reputation. The official also mentioned that Tareen had not participated in any meetings to raise these concerns, implying that such discussions had not taken place in official settings.
As tensions between the PCB and Multan Sultans’ ownership continue to escalate, it remains to be seen how these disputes will affect the future of the Pakistan Super League.