PSL franchise Sialkot Stallionz rebranded as Multan Sultans

LAHORE: Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Sialkot Stallionz has been officially renamed as ‘Multan Sultans’.

The announcement was made on Tuesday during a joint press conference in Lahore, attended by PSL Chief Executive Salman Naseer, franchise owner Hamza Majeed, and CD Ventures head Gohar Shah.

CD Ventures has acquired a majority stake in the franchise, which was initially bought by OZ Developers for Rs1.85 billion in the PSL auction held in January.

According to Salman Naseer, the annual value of the franchise has now reached Rs2 billion after the new investment.

Salman Naseer said that the approval to change the name of the franchise has been given at the request of Gohar Shah, and the team will now compete under the name ‘Multan Sultans’. Hamza Majeed declared the deal final after the approval of the Pakistan Cricket Board and PSL.

Gohar Shah said that ‘restoring Multan’s identity is his top priority’ and he has introduced a broad cricketing philosophy, ‘Total Cricket’, so that the success of the franchise is aligned with the interests of Pakistan cricket.

Although the team has been rebranded, Hamza Majeed assured Sialkot fans that the franchise will acknowledge its roots, and transport arrangements will be made for fans during matches in Multan.

The change is a major development ahead of the start of Pakistan Super League Season 11, which begins in five different cities across Pakistan on ‘March 26’.