Ali Khan Tareen bowed out as the owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans on Tuesday after failing to receive a renewal offer by the country’s cricket board.
Meanwhile, all the other five franchises renewed their agreements with the league for the next 10 years over the last two days — Islamabad United and Karachi Kings being the latest ones.
Tareen announced his decision with a heartfelt note on social media platform ‘X’.
“Despite the financial losses year after year, I never once thought about walking away,” he said. “The Sultans have always meant more to me than just numbers. And I have always been willing to go as far as needed to protect it.
“I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m okay with that. But I have always been honest and I have always spoken my mind,” Tareen added, pointing out at his longstanding criticism over the league’s management issues that landed him in the bad books of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which eventually decided to snub him.
“I never learned how to play it safe or just play along. That simply isn’t who I am. And if staying means compromising those principles there is only one choice I can make.
“I would rather lose this team while standing on my feet than run it from my knees. So, this is goodbye.”
The conflict between the PCB and Tareen flared earlier this year with the latter raising questions over the former’s seriousness about the PSL’s growth.
Tareen had argued that the PSL leadership was not taking enough steps to ensure the league maintained it’s worth as a household name amid the rise of T20 leagues around the world.
The former Multan Sultans owner went on record with his criticism several times before he was sent a legal notice by the PCB for “breach of contractual obligations”.
The notice saw Tareen respond with even more criticism as the cold war turned into a complete fallout between the two parties.
Tareen had claimed on ‘X’ earlier that he wasn’t approached for a franchise renewal deal. That turned out to be true eventually, with all other franchises committing another 10 years with the PSL while Tareen stepped down.
