In a dramatic escalation of tensions with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Multan Sultans’ owner Ali Tareen has openly defied the board by tearing up a legal notice that demanded he retract his recent remarks and issue an apology.
In a video message posted late Thursday, Tareen revealed that the PCB had warned him of severe consequences including the possible termination of Multan Sultans’ franchise rights and his personal blacklisting from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) if he failed to comply.
“This notice was meant to scare me into silence, but I refuse to be intimidated,” Tareen said firmly. “If asking for professionalism and transparency is a crime, then I apologize for that.”
The legal notice, according to Tareen, was sent after he publicly criticized the league’s management, questioning the PCB’s handling of operational matters and decision-making processes. He clarified that his remarks were not meant as personal attacks but as constructive feedback intended to strengthen the PSL’s structure.
“I love the PSL it belongs to the whole of Pakistan,” Tareen stated. “All I asked for was that capable and professional individuals be given a greater role in running the league.”
Tareen went on to accuse the PCB of refusing to engage in dialogue with franchise owners, saying that no one from the board had reached out to address his concerns. “Till today, no one from the PCB has called me and said, ‘Let’s sit together and fix these issues.’ You just want everyone to stay quiet and follow orders,” he said.
At the end of his video, Tareen dramatically tore up the legal notice on camera, calling it a symbolic act of defiance. “You can threaten me all you want,” he declared. “I will keep speaking the truth about what’s wrong with our system.”
The confrontation follows reports that the PCB had formally suspended Multan Sultans’ franchise operations and issued a termination warning for alleged breaches of contract. Sources within the board claim the action came after Tareen’s recent public criticism of PCB policies, which they said violated league regulations.
Despite the escalating standoff, Tareen’s stance has sparked widespread discussion among fans and analysts, many of whom view his defiance as a rare moment of accountability within Pakistan’s cricketing establishment.
