PCB invites bids for Multan Sultans franchise ahead of PSL 11

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formally issued an advertisement inviting bids for the sale of franchise team rights of Multan Sultans.

In an advertisement released in newspapers on Wednesday, the PCB invited “interested parties” to acquire the franchise rights of the Multan team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), describing it as an opportunity for investors to be part of what it called a “new era” of the league.

According to the PCB’s invitation for bids, Multan Sultans, which entered the PSL in its third edition in 2018, has built an established fan base and presence within the competition. The board said the franchise now presents 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, parties wishing to participate must obtain the 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 the same day.

"Only technically qualified bidders will be allowed to proceed to the next stage of the process," the PCB said in the notice.

Further information can be sought from the PCB through the official email address: [email protected], with the board cautioning that any information from other sources will not be deemed official.

The move comes against the backdrop of recent remarks by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who has publicly taken on the challenge of turning Multan Sultans into a profitable franchise before its sale for the next season.

Addressing a high-profile ceremony held for the auction of the league’s seventh and eighth teams last week, Naqvi said Multan Sultan had been labelled a “loss-hit” franchise on social media, but he was determined to prove otherwise.

“I took a challenge, and that is that there were a lot of claims on social media that the team was in losses,” Naqvi said. “So I, and all of the team, decided that we would show you how much profit this business offers, publish the numbers before going for the auction.”

Naqvi confirmed that the PCB will continue to run Multan Sultans during the upcoming PSL 11 season before offering it to new owners. He revealed that there had been suggestions to auction Multan alongside the two new franchises sold this week, but he chose instead to operate the team for another year to demonstrate its commercial potential.

The advertisement for Multan’s franchise rights also comes at a time of rapid expansion for the PSL.

Hyderabad and Sialkot were officially confirmed as the league’s seventh and eighth franchises following the completion of the expansion auction, taking the competition to eight teams for the first time.

The 11th edition of the PSL is set to run from March 26 to May 3, 2026, with the expanded format expected to provide fans across Pakistan and beyond with another extended period of competitive T20 cricket.

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