KARACHI: Pakistan Super League (PSL) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salman Naseer has responded to a question regarding Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen, who recently uploaded a viral video openly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and tearing up the legal notice he received from the board.
During a recent media conference, Naseer emphasised that PSL-related issues should be resolved “behind closed doors,” stressing the importance of maintaining the league’s reputation and handling disputes through proper legal and administrative channels.
“You want me to do the same thing they’re doing, to tarnish the reputation of this league. I can’t do that. If this matter is to be discussed, it will be done in the boardroom, legally; and if it’s to be resolved, it will happen behind closed doors. Saying anything more would only add fuel to the fire,” Naseer stated.
For the unversed, Ali Tareen posted a video on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), offering a sarcastic “apology” to the PCB after receiving a legal notice accusing him of violating multiple clauses of the PSL’s 10-year franchise agreement.
The notice reportedly demanded a formal apology and retraction of his remarks, warning that failure to comply could result in the termination of Multan Sultans’ contract and Tareen’s blacklisting from the league.
In the video, Tareen mockingly recited the PCB’s demands, questioning the board’s communication approach and expressing frustration over what he described as a lack of dialogue.
“I never received a single call, message, email, or invitation asking to meet and resolve these issues together,” he said.
The video concluded with Tareen dramatically tearing up the legal notice, ending his statement with, “So, I hope you like my apology video.”
When asked about Afghanistan’s withdrawal and the availability of Afghan players for the next PSL, Naseer called it “a developing situation” to be reviewed before the draft.
“This is a developing situation. When the draft approaches, we will review it,” he noted.
Commenting on the league’s future expansion, the PSL CEO explained that the decision to increase the number of teams to eight had been made after extensive evaluation.
“Even the decision to have eight teams wasn’t an easy one. It’s not like we just woke up one morning and decided it,” he said.
“You have to look at how big your talent pool is, whether we have enough national players to keep the PSL as competitive as it’s known to be. Then there are international players, scheduling windows, number of matches, and the interests of sponsors and fans.”
Naseer added that once all relevant data was assessed, the board felt confident in expanding the league while maintaining its competitive standard.
“So, when that stage comes again, we’ll look into further expansion. But for now, it’s very exciting, there’s a lot of interest coming in, and I feel the auction process for the two new teams will be very competitive,” he concluded.
