There is no precedent for it. But, there is never really a precedent for any development in Pakistan cricket.
The happenings of Pakistan cricket outsmart one’s wildest fantasies and the current controversy that the country’s cricketing landscape sees itself embroiled in is one such.
Since it has emerged that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) served a legal notice to Ali Tareen for the breach of the franchise agreement last month, the conflict between the two has played out publicly.
While Tareen, the owner of Multan Sultans, has doubled down his criticism on the social media, the board has dropped subtle hints on the path it plans to venture.
Sunday brought more developments as Tareen accused the PSL management for leaking the legal notice to “their favoured media”.
“For the record, we received the legal notice on 12th Sept,” the post said. “Our legal team sent them a detailed reply.
Since then, we had chosen to stay silent and not make the issue public. Because nothing could be more damaging to the league than this.
“But then, the PSL management decided to leak parts of the notice to their favoured media last week.
Perhaps they mistook our restraint for weakness. And one torn notice later, we are where we are. Lets (sic) see where it all ends up.”
An hour later, the PCB, in an update about the meeting between Mohsin Naqvi, its chairperson, and Ernst&Young, the independent audit firm hired for the valuation of the six franchises and the PSL’s brand value, reiterated that it would extend the franchise renewal offer to only those franchisees who have been in compliance with the franchise agreement.
Sources tell Dawn that Tareen has sought intervention of politicians and fellow franchisees to mediate with the PCB.
Tareen has been directing his criticism towards PCB in the lead-up to this year’s PSL. He, primarily, reiterated complaints of the ordinary fans by highlighting the substandard fan experience in stadia around the country and criticised the board for the lack of innovation in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which he claimed resulted in the decline of the league.
He blamed the board for being content with “mediocrity” and questioned the credentials and ability of the PCB staffers.
With the PCB’s contracts with the six PSL franchisees, title and other sponsors, and broadcast right holders lapsing this year, Tareen’s frequent criticism of the league worried the PCB about its implications.
The PCB suspected that Tareen desired to sabotage the league to adversely affect the valuation process and bring down the market value of his franchise — which the board has stated in its legal notice to Tareen.
The board officials also lamented that rather than contributing in the PSL governing council meetings during which Multan Sultans owner and representatives remained silent, Tareen resorted to attack the decisions on the social media – again, something that the PCB wrote in its notice.
Tareen took over as the sole owner of Multan Sultans late 2023 after the passing of his uncle, Alamgir Tareen.
He and his uncle had bid USD6.3million — almost the double of the reserve price set by the PCB — for the team in 2019 after the PCB had terminated the franchise agreement with Schon Properties Broker LLC for their failure to meet the financial obligations. (PCB has pegged dollar at PKR170 for the annual franchise fee).
The PCB contemplated sending a legal notice to Tareen during this year’s tournament — which it also mentioned in the notice — but refrained from doing so, fearing it may harm the league’s image.
Tareen responded to the legal notice on 2 October, but the chances of a reconciliation seem bleak after he ripped the PCB’s legal notice on camera.
His act has publicly challenged PCB’s stature as the game’s governing body in the country and pushed its chief into a corner. There are many within and outside the country who are anticipating the response.
Naqvi is embroiled in a conflict with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the Asia Cup silverware matter.
The matter will rear its head once again next month when cricket chiefs gather for an International Cricket Council (ICC) conclave.
The BCCI will be keen to observe how Naqvi responds to the pressure publicly exerted by one of the PSL franchise owners back home and the outcome of this saga will provide a template on how far they can stretch Naqvi.
Similarly, it will also lay marker for other franchisees and stakeholders of the game within Pakistan.
It is unprecedented for an owner of a PSL team to launch searing diatribes against the PCB. And, the outcome of this stand-off will go on to lengthen the list of unprecedented developments in Pakistan cricket.
