Multan Sultans owner ridicules PCB in 'apology' video after legal notice

A Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise owner has publicly ridiculed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the league itself. Responding to a PCB notice demanding a public apology, Ali Tareen, the firebrand maverick owner of the Multan Sultans, released a video lampooning both the PCB and the PSL, creating a storm within Pakistan's cricket establishment.

"Because you have asked for a public apology, even though my legal team says there is no need for one - we did not say anything wrong. But see, the big guy apologizes...I apologize that I requested so many wrong things from you and criticized the wrong things. So, I hope you like my apology video. With love," Tareen said, tearing up the notice in the four-and-a-half-minute 'apology' video posted on YouTube on Friday.

Experts saw this as a preventable public fracas. "I think they could have handled it better. Ali can't just sit and talk, and the PCB doesn't respond. They have two or three franchise owners who meet with them, and yet the PSL is not going well. About 90 percent of what he has said is true. We simply don't have professionals on the board," Rashid Latif, former Pakistan captain, told Cricbuzz while commenting on the fracas. "Both the parties should have sat in the first place. He is a stakeholder, he is with PCB."

Tareen started his long monologue with a mocking address: "Our favorite PSL management has sent me a legal notice in which they say that if I don't take back all the things I have said against the PSL management, and if I don't make a public apology to them, they will cancel our Multan Sultans franchise agreement and blacklist me from the PSL forever, so that I can never own a team. See, this is the issue."

He continued his tirade: "It is my mistake that I am not happy with your mediocre mindset - that's my mistake, not yours. And I apologize for not being happy that you give so many high fives to each other for doing so little work. You can give as many high fives as you want. And I apologize for wanting qualified and competent people in the PSL management. I know, that's asking for too much."

Tareen, in his mid-30s, comes across as a trailblazer who has never shied away from criticising the PSL and PCB. He called the PSL mediocre while the PCB claims it as the second best cricket league in the world after the IPL. On one instance, he made fun of 'Jeeto Pakistan' theme of the PSL X Trophy by calling it depressing to see, and went on to ask if the next PSL champions will be given a water cooler. Allegedly he offered the Multan Sultan players $ 1000 every time they hit the helmet of the opposition batter.

The PCB pointed this out to him in the notice, describing it as reprehensible conduct "not even suitable for a game of street cricket among friends, let alone for a tournament like the PSL." The board said the video of him encouraging his players to bowl bouncers was posted on the Multan Sultans' social media handle (it has since been taken down). He was also seen making several disparaging remarks on the Ultra Edge podcast. On another occasion, he shared a reel on his personal Instagram account and captioned it "Mediocrity."

In the 12-page notice, seen by Cricbuzz and marked to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB lists several instances of Tareen's public criticism of the board and the PSL, describing them as "false, malicious, baseless, and defamatory allegations." It points out that he neither attended meetings nor chose to send representatives. Apart from suggesting that the PSL draft be held in England - a proposal opposed by other franchise owners - he made no worthwhile contributions, instead creating a fabricated narrative around the PSL debrief session, among other issues.

"In cricket leagues around the world, it is unheard of that a franchise launches a public tirade (albeit false and inaccurate) against its very own national league at a critical time," the notice stated. "Your conduct and statements, therefore, constitute actionable defamation for which separate proceedings will be initiated against you," the notice said. "You are therefore required to issue a public retraction and apology in respect of all abovementioned statements within 21 days of receipt of this Notice of Breach failing which the PCB reserves the right to terminate the franchise agreement..." The notice was sent on September 21.

Latif saw this as a political stunt. "I feel he is more political. Ali Tareen comes from the background of Jahangir Tareen (father of Ali), a former PTI member who was close to Imran Khan but later left. Since then, he has been active in South Punjab, which is a key political region. Both Jahangir and Ali Tareen are gaining mileage from this situation. In effect, this is a free election campaign for the future, and Ali Tareen has played a masterstroke.

"I think he had to distance himself from cricket. If he is getting coverage in India, it's because of this. If he wins four seats in the next election, he will become the king of this area and could even challenge the cricket board's authority in parliament. I see it politically. You've probably seen it in India too - some people benefit from cricket and gain political mileage, while many others just invest money without any such gains. What happened, in my view, is the fault of the PCB."

Multan Sultans have been a consistent franchise in the six-team league, winning the 2021 title and reaching the final in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons. The team joined the league in its third season in 2018, and after a change of ownership from a Dubai-based group, Ali Tareen purchased it and has been running the franchise since the 2019 season.

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