Lahore, January 14, 2026: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday formally issued an advertisement inviting bids for the sale of franchise team rights of Multan Sultans, marking a key step in the next phase of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
In advertisements published in national newspapers, the PCB invited “interested parties” to acquire the franchise rights of the Multan-based team, describing it as an opportunity for investors to become part of a “new era” of the PSL.
According to the PCB, Multan Sultans — which joined the league in its third edition in 2018 — has developed a strong fan base and an established presence in the competition. The board said the franchise now represents a “compelling opportunity” for new owners to build on its legacy and take the team to “unprecedented heights” in the PSL.
Under the bidding process, interested parties are required to obtain bid documents from the PCB. The deadline for submission of technical proposals has been set for January 30, 2026, at 3pm, with the proposals to be opened on the same day.
“Only technically qualified bidders will be allowed to proceed to the next stage of the process,” the PCB said in its notice.
The board said further information could be sought through its official email address, psl@pcb.com.pk
, and cautioned that any information obtained from other sources would not be considered official.
The move comes amid recent remarks by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who has publicly taken on the challenge of turning Multan Sultans into a profitable franchise before its eventual sale. Speaking at a ceremony held last week for the auction of the league’s seventh and eighth teams, Naqvi said the franchise had been labelled “loss-hit” on social media, a claim he was determined to disprove.
“I took a challenge because there were many claims on social media that the team was running at a loss,” Naqvi said. “We decided to show how much profit this business offers and publish the numbers before going for the auction.”
Naqvi confirmed that the PCB will continue to operate Multan Sultans during the upcoming PSL 11 season before transferring ownership to new investors. He said there had been suggestions to auction Multan alongside the two new franchises sold this week, but the board opted to run the team for another year to demonstrate its commercial potential.
The advertisement for Multan Sultans’ franchise rights comes at a time of rapid expansion for the PSL. Hyderabad and Sialkot were recently confirmed as the league’s seventh and eighth franchises, expanding the competition to eight teams for the first time.
The 11th edition of the PSL is scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3, 2026, with the expanded format expected to offer fans across Pakistan and abroad an extended season of competitive T20 cricket.
