Multan Sultans

Multan Sultans
ملتان سلطانز
Nickname(s)Janoobis[1] (lit. 'Southerns')
LeaguePakistan Super League
Personnel
CoachNew Zealand Mike Hesson[2]
Bowling coachEngland Catherine Dalton
England David Parsons
Fielding coachNew Zealand Will Lintern
ManagerPakistan Hijab Zahid[3]
Team information
CityMultan, Punjab, Pakistan,
Founded2017 (2017)
Dissolved9 February 2026 (9 February 2026)
Home groundMultan Cricket Stadium
Capacity35,000[4]
History
PSL wins1 (2021)
Official websitewww.multansultans.com

Home kit

Away kit

Multan Sultans (Punjabi/Urdu: ملتان سلطانز) was a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing Multan, Punjab, in the Pakistan Super League from 2018 to 2025. The team was established in 2017 as the sixth franchise of the league, added ahead of the third season.[5][6] The team played its home matches at the Multan Cricket Stadium.[7] On 9 February 2026, the team was auctioned and was subsequently renamed to represent Rawalpindi under new ownership.

Initially, the franchise was owned by Schön Properties for US$41.6 million over eight seasons, but the contract was terminated in 2018 after payment defaults.[8] Later that year, a consortium led by Alamgir Khan Tareen and Ali Khan Tareen acquired the team.[9] Alamgir Tareen became the sole owner in 2021,[10] and the Tareen family managed the franchise until 2025, when Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to renew the ownership contract.[11]

Multan Sultans had won their first PSL title in the 2021 season by defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the final.[12] The franchise reached the finals in four consecutive seasons between 2021 and 2024, winning once and finishing runners-up three times, establishing itself as one of the PSL’s most consistent teams.[13]

Following the expiration of the franchise agreement, the PCB auctioned the Multan Sultans on 9 February 2026. Walee Technologies won the bid of PKR 2.45 billion and chose to relocate and rebrand the franchise to Rawalpindi, officially ending Multan's representation in the PSL.[14][15]

Franchise history

In April 2017, a few weeks after the conclusion of the 2017 Pakistan Super League, then PSL chairman Najam Sethi announced that a sixth team would be added for the third season.[6] The Pakistan Cricket Board short-listed five regions as possibilities for the new franchise.[16] In June 2017, the franchise was officially established after Schön Properties won the bid for an eight-year contract against ten other contesting bidders.[5]

On 10 November 2018, the PCB announced that the franchise agreement with Schön Properties had been terminated, and all rights in respect to the franchise were returned to the board. The termination followed the franchise's failure to pay the annual fee required by the PCB.[17][18] The PCB temporarily took over the management of all player and coaching contracts while launching a new public tender to sell the repackaged rights for the franchise.

In December 2018, the Multan Consortium, led by Alamgir Khan Tareen and Ali Khan Tareen, won the bid for the team.[19] In 2021, Alamgir Khan Tareen became the sole owner of the franchise[9] and remained in that role until his death in 2023. The franchise was then managed by the Tareen family group.[20]

In 2025, the franchise became involved in a public dispute with the PCB regarding the Pakistan Super League's financial and operational structure.[11] In April, franchise owner Tareen criticised the board's approach to the league's expansion and revenue model, arguing that the upcoming season lacked meaningful innovation despite being promoted as the "biggest ever."[21] On 23 October 2025, the PCB issued a suspension and termination notice to the Multan Sultans over alleged contractual breaches.[22]

On 25 November 2025, owner Ali Tareen announced via social media that he would no longer be the owner of Multan Sultans after failing to reach an agreement with the PCB for a renewal of his ownership.[23][24] PCB decided to keep the franchise for the 2026 season and seek new buyers.[11]

Multan Sultans were made available for auction ahead of the PSL 2026 season as the PCB invited bidders for the team franchise rights.[25] On 9 February 2026, Walee Technologies won the auction with a bid of PKR 2.45 billion. The PCB offered the winning bidder the option to retain the Multan Sultans identity, change the team name, or relocate the franchise. Walee Technologies chose to relocate the team to Rawalpindi and rebrand it accordingly, officially ending Multan Sultans' participation in the PSL.[14][26]

Performance in PSL

2018 season

Main article: 2018 Multan Sultans season

In its debut season, the team was captained by Shoaib Malik.[27][28] Tom Moody and Wasim Akram were appointed as head coach and director respectively[29][30] with Haider Azhar as general manager of cricket operations and Nadeem Khan the team's manager.[30][31][32]

The team won its first match, defeating defending champions Peshawar Zalmi by seven wickets[33] but finished fifth in the league table, winning four matches and losing five with one no result. They did not make the playoffs.

2019 season

Main article: 2019 Multan Sultans season

Ahead of the 2019 season, Johan Botha, who had been assistant coach during the previous season, was appointed as head coach, replacing Moody, who withdrew from his role due to domestic commitments.[34] Wasim Akram also left the team, joining Karachi Kings.

The Sultans started their season against Karachi Kings with a close defeat[35] and went on to win only three matches, again finishing fifth and failing to make the playoffs. Captain Shoaib Malik was the leading run scorer with 266 runs,[36] while Shahid Afridi took 10 wickets to be the team's leading wicket taker for the season.[37]

2020 season

Main article: 2020 Multan Sultans season

Ahead of the 2020 season, Shan Masood was named team captain[38] and Andy Flower became the team's head coach.[39] The team reached the playoff stage of the competition for the first time after finishing top of the group. They lost both of their playoff matches and did not reach the competition final finishing third overall.

2021 season

Main article: 2021 Multan Sultans season

In 2021, Multan finished second in the group stage and went on to win the PSL final for the first time. After winning the first qualifier match against Islamabad United, who had finished top of the group stage, Multan progressed straight to the final where they beat Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs and won their first title.

2022 season

Main article: 2022 Multan Sultans season

Multan Sultans demonstrated a dominant performance in the tournament, securing the top position in the points table. Winning 9 out of 10 matches, they remained undefeated until losing the finals against Lahore Qalandars.

2023 season

Main article: 2023 Multan Sultans season

Multan Sultan played very well in this season they were on 2nd position in table before playoff and after first playoff they directly Qualify to the final after winning the match from Lahore Qalandar which was on the top of point table. However, in the final Lahore Qalandar won the final by very narrow margin of 1 runs.

2024 season

Main article: 2024 Multan Sultans season

Again, Multan Sultan played very well in the 2024 season they were on 1st position in table before playoff and after first playoff they directly Qualify to the final after winning the match from Peshawar Zalmi which was on the 2nd position of point table. However, in the final Islamabad United won the final by 2 wickets.

Team identity

The team's logo and kit was revealed in September 2017.[40] The team's anthem Hum Hain Multan kay Sultans for the 2018 season was sung by Waqar Ehsin. Pakistan film stars Momal Sheikh, Javed Sheikh, Ahsan Khan, Neelam Munir and actress Sadia Khan were the team's star ambassadors for the 2018 season.[41][42]

Year Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (front) Shirt sponsor (back) Chest branding Sleeve branding
2018 Lake City Fatima Group Mughal Steel Inverex, Super Asia
2019 Pepsi Afsaneh Lay's OLX, Asia Ghee Mill F.C.
2020 Fatima Group Kurkure Pepsi, Asia Ghee, Shell V-Power
2021 G.F.C Fans Snack Video, Asia Ghee
2022 Wolf777 News Asia Ghee, Shell V-Power, Nishan-E-Haider Builders and Developers
2023 AJ Sports Asia Ghee, Shell V-Power, Samaa TV
2024 Gym Armour Moiz Steel Asia Ghee, KFC
2025 Audionic, KFC Asia Ghee

Administration and coaching staff

Position Name
Manager Pakistan Hijab Zahid
Head coach Pakistan Abdul Rehman
Assistant and development coach Pakistan Bilawal Bhatti
Fast bowling coach Republic of Ireland Catherine Dalton
Spin bowling coach England David Parsons[43]
Fielding Coach New Zealand Will Lintern
Strength and conditioning coach South Africa Drikus Saaiman
Assistant spin bowling coach England Alex Hartley
Director of Strategy United States Nathan Leamon
Director of Franchise Development Pakistan Asser Malik
Physiotherapist Pakistan Javed Mughal
Source:MS Team management

Captains

From Player To Mat Won Lost Tie&W Tie&L NR %
2018 Shoaib Malik 2019 20 7 12 0 0 1 36.84
2020 Shan Masood 2020 11 6 3 0 1 1 65.00
2021 Mohammad Rizwan 2025 58 33 25 0 0 0 56.89

Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 26 March 2024

Result summary

Overall result in PSL

Year Pld Won Loss Tie&W Tie&L NR SR (%) Position Summary
2016 Team did not exist
2017
2018 10 4 5 0 0 1 44.44 5/6 League-stage
2019 10 3 7 0 0 0 30.00 5/6 League-stage
2020[a] 11 6 3 0 1 1 65.00 1/6 Playoffs (3rd)
2021 12 7 5 0 0 0 58.33 2/6 Champions
2022 12 10 2 0 0 0 83.33 1/6 Runners-up
2023 12 7 5 0 0 0 58.33 2/6 Runners-up
2024 12 8 4 0 0 0 66.66 1/6 Runners-up
Total 79 45 31 0 1 2 56.96 1 title
  1. ^ In this season, their match against Quetta Gladiators was abandoned due to rain.
  • Tie+W and Tie+L indicates matches tied and then won or lost in a tiebreaker such as a bowlout or one-over-eliminator ("Super Over")
  • The result percentage excludes no results and counts ties (irrespective of a tiebreaker) as half a win

Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 26 March 2024

Head-to-head record

Opposition Span Mat Won Lost Tie Tie+W Tie+L NR SR (%)
Islamabad United 2018–2025 16 8 8 0 0 0 0 50.00
Karachi Kings 2018–2025 15 7 7 0 0 1 2 50.00
Lahore Qalandars 2018–2025 19 10 9 0 0 0 0 52.63
Peshawar Zalmi 2018–2025 16 11 5 0 0 0 0 68.75
Quetta Gladiators 2018–2025 13 9 4 0 0 0 0 69.23

Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 26 March 2024

Statistics

As of 26 March 2024

Most runs

Player Years Innings Runs High score
Mohammad Rizwan 2021–2025 71 3443 110*
Shan Masood 2019–2023 42 1,318 88
Rilee Rossouw 2020–2023 41 1,117 121
Sohaib Maqsood 2018–2022 28 771 85*
Khushdil Shah 2020–2024 45 680 70*

Most wickets

Player Years Innings Wickets Best bowling
Imran Tahir 2018–2022 37 53 3/7
Usama Mir 2023–2025 24 41 6/40
Abbas Afridi 2022–2024 25 39 5/47
Shahnawaz Dahani 2021–2024 27 39 4/5
David Willey 2022; 2024–2025 19 28 3/22

References

  1. ^ "PSL 2022: Multan Sultans PSL 7 Schedule". Bol News. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Multan Sultans Squad 2024 – MS Team, Captain, Coach complete detail". Sports Fista. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  3. ^ Danyal Rasool (28 August 2023). "Multan Sultans to become first Pakistani T20 franchise with female general manager". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Multan Cricket Stadium | Pakistan | Cricket Grounds | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo.
  5. ^ a b Ahmed, Zeeshan (1 June 2017). "PSL's newest team is Multan, worth $41.6 million". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Sethi confirms addition of sixth team, increased matches in PSL3". The Express Tribune. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Multan Cricket Stadium ready to host Multan Sultans". Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  8. ^ "PCB terminates contract of Multan Sultans franchise". ESPNcricinfo. 10 November 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Ali Tareen wins bid for PSL's Multan Sultans". Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Multan Sultans owner Alamgir Tareen passes away in Lahore". Geo News. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Sport, Dawn (28 December 2025). "PCB to take over owner-less Multan Sultans for next PSL season". Dawn.
  12. ^ "Multan Sultans complete turnaround title win on back of Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw fifties". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  13. ^ "PSL history: Multan Sultans most consistent team since 2021". Geo News. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Multan Sultans sold for record Rs2.45bn". Dawn (newspaper). 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Walee Technologies acquire Multan Franchise after record bid". psl-t20.com. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  16. ^ Lakhani, Faizan (28 April 2017). "PCB shortlists five possible regions for 6th team in PSL 3". Geo News. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  17. ^ Farooq, Umar (10 November 2018). "PCB repossesses Multan Sultans after payment failure". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  18. ^ "PCB terminates franchise agreement with Schon Group for Multan Sultans". Dawn. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Ali Tareen wins bid for PSL's Multan Sultans". Dunya News. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  20. ^ Sultan, Tahir (3 October 2023). "Multan Sultans Squad 2024 – MS Team, Captain, Coach complete detail". Sports Fista. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  21. ^ "Nothing special about PSL 2025! Multan Sultans owner criticises PCB". MyKhel. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  22. ^ "PCB sends suspension, termination notice to Multan Sultans franchise". Samaa TV. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Multan Sultans owner decides not to renew ownership of PSL franchise". Cricinfo. 2025-11-25. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  24. ^ "Ali Tareen announces departure from Multan Sultans". Samaa TV. 2025-11-25. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  25. ^ "Multan Sultans auction to take place on February 9 in Lahore". ipl.com. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  26. ^ "Walee Technologies acquires Multan Sultans, plans Rawalpindi rebrand". Minute Mirror. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Multan Sultans name Shoaib Malik as captain". Geo News. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Shoaib Malik to remain the captain of Multan Sultans in season 4 of PSL". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  29. ^ Faizan Lakhani (22 September 2017). "Tom Moody appointed head coach of Multan Sultans". Geo News. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  30. ^ a b Faizan Lakhani (1 August 2017). "Wasim Akram leaves Islamabad United for new PSL franchise". Geo News. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  31. ^ "Multan Sultans appoint Nadeem Khan as Manager". Geo News. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  32. ^ "Wasim Akram joins PSL's newest baby". Business Recorder. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  33. ^ Rasool, Danyal. "Irfan, Sangakkara fashion Multan win on PSL debut". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  34. ^ Khan, Asjad (7 January 2019). "Johan Botha confirmed as coach of the franchise". Oyeyeah. Oye Yeah. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  35. ^ "Karachi Kings open PSL campaign with 7-run win over Multan Sultans". The News. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  36. ^ "Records — 2019 Pakistan Super League — Most runs". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  37. ^ "Records — 2019 Pakistan Super League — Most wickets". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  38. ^ "PSL 2020: Shahid Afridi accidentally confirms Shan Masood as Multan Sultans captain". Geo Super. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  39. ^ "Multan Sultans appoint Andy Flower as Head coach". Daily Times. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  40. ^ Muhammad Irfan (22 September 2017). "Multan Sultans unveil logo, team kit". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  41. ^ "Pakistan Super League teams ambassadors". Samaa TV. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  42. ^ "Neelam Muneer & Ahsan Khan join Multan Sultans as Brand Ambassadors". PSLfantasy.com. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  43. ^ "PSL 9: Saqlain Mushtaq withdraws from Multan Sultans' coaching staff". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
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