Multan Sultans return in PSL 2026 with a rebuilt squad led by Steve Smith and Ashton Turner. Here are the 7 players who can carry them to the title.
Key Takeaways
- The Multan Sultans name returns in PSL 2026 under entirely new ownership — CD Ventures bought the newly formed Sialkot Stallionz franchise and rebranded it back to Multan Sultans, while the original franchise became Pindiz under Mohammad Rizwan.
- Steve Smith joins as a direct overseas signing, with Ashton Turner taking over the captaincy and former Australian Test captain Tim Paine as head coach.
- Sahibzada Farhan was Multan’s biggest auction outlay at PKR 5.70 crore, while Mohammad Nawaz’s PKR 6.16 crore retention makes him the squad’s highest-valued player overall.
- The side’s title chances hinge on whether the middle order beyond Turner can support the top-order firepower, and whether the bowling trio of Shamsi, Daniyal, and Siddle performs consistently.
Multan Sultans are technically a brand-new team wearing a familiar name. That distinction matters more than most PSL previews are giving it credit for — this isn’t the Multan Sultans squad that won the 2021 title, and treating it as a continuation of that team would be misleading. What actually happened is a straightforward but confusing ownership shuffle: CD Ventures bought the newly created Sialkot Stallionz franchise and rebranded it back to Multan Sultans, while the original Multan Sultans slot was sold separately and now plays as Pindiz. Here’s who actually matters in this rebuilt squad, and why.
The New Multan Sultans, at a Glance
Before breaking down individual players, the basic setup is worth laying out clearly. Ashton Turner captains the side, Tim Paine — the former Australian Test captain — takes over as head coach, and the team plays its home fixtures at Multan Cricket Stadium. Four players carried over from the Sialkot Stallionz retention pool: Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Ahmed Daniyal, and Saad Masood. Steve Smith joined separately as the franchise’s direct overseas signing.
What jumps out immediately is how heavily Australian this setup is — Turner captains, Paine coaches, Smith anchors the top order, and Peter Siddle handles the new ball. It’s an unusual concentration for a PSL side, but each of those names brings genuine international pedigree to what is otherwise a young, largely unproven squad.
Steve Smith: The Batter Who Holds Everything Together
If Multan’s innings ever starts falling apart, Steve Smith is the player built to stop the bleeding. He was secured as the franchise’s direct overseas pick before the auction even opened, which tells you exactly how much the management values him. At 36, Smith remains one of the most technically sound batters in world cricket — not the most explosive name in the auction, but arguably the most reliable one under pressure.
What makes Smith specifically suited to T20 franchise cricket is his strike rotation. He rarely gives his wicket away cheaply, and he tends to play his biggest innings precisely when his team needs one most. Slotting in at three or four, his stability gives the batters around him room to play with more freedom than they’d otherwise have.
Ashton Turner: A Captain Who Can Also Finish Games
Multan didn’t just hand the captaincy to a recognizable name — they picked a player with genuine T20 pedigree across nearly every major league in the world, including the BBL, IPL, CPL, SA20, The Hundred, and PSL itself. Turner’s specific value lies in the middle overs and the death, where he can absorb pressure when scoring is difficult and then accelerate hard when the situation calls for it. His off-spin also gives him a fourth or fifth bowling option to call on as captain.
Having previously featured for Multan in three PSL 10 matches, Turner isn’t walking into a completely unfamiliar setup. Moving from squad player to full-time leader is still a significant step up, but his cross-format experience makes it a sensible bet for a franchise trying to build stability quickly.
Sahibzada Farhan: Multan’s Biggest Financial Commitment
At PKR 5.70 crore, Sahibzada Farhan was Multan’s largest single auction purchase, and the price reflects genuine current form rather than reputation alone. Farhan plays with a naturally aggressive top-order game, hits straight down the ground with real power, and has shown in recent domestic T20 cricket that he’s ready for this level of competition.
His role is specific and important: give Multan real firepower in the powerplay before opposition bowlers settle into a rhythm. A top-order batter capable of taking games away in the first six overs is one of the most valuable assets in modern T20 cricket, and Farhan’s price tag suggests the franchise sees him exactly that way.
Shan Masood: Proven Composure at a Bargain Price
Shan Masood brings something this rebuilt squad genuinely needed — experience in high-pressure moments that can’t be manufactured overnight. Across 36 Tests, more than 50 T20Is, and years of franchise cricket around the world, Masood has captained his country and learned how to bat through pressure rather than around it.
He was picked up for just PKR 0.65 crore, making him one of the better value signings anywhere in this year’s auction. At this stage of his career, Masood isn’t the high-tempo prospect he once was, but as a steady anchor who protects wickets and rotates strike alongside a more aggressive partner, he fits Multan’s top order almost perfectly. Pairing an aggressive opener with a composed one is a formula that’s worked across T20 cricket for years, and Farhan-Masood looks built along exactly those lines.
Mohammad Nawaz: The Squad’s Genuine All-Round Threat
Ask any PSL follower which Multan player worries opposition camps the most, and Mohammad Nawaz’s name comes up consistently. Retained from the Sialkot Stallionz pool at PKR 6.16 crore — the highest fee attached to anyone in this squad — Nawaz is a left-arm spinner and hard-hitting lower-order batter who ranks among the most complete domestic all-rounders Pakistan has produced in the past decade.
His value with the bat down the order is well established at international level, and his bowling in the middle overs is built around picking wickets rather than simply containing the scoring rate. On PSL pitches that typically slow down and grip as an innings progresses, a spinner of Nawaz’s quality becomes a genuine problem for batting sides trying to plan around him.
Tabraiz Shamsi: The Spin Weapon Every Good T20 Side Needs
South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, picked up at PKR 2.2 crore, is currently one of the most difficult left-arm wrist spinners in franchise cricket to face. His wrong’un is genuinely hard to read even for experienced batters, and his flight and dip regularly draw false shots rather than just contained ones.
PSL surfaces — particularly in venues like Multan and Lahore — have traditionally rewarded quality spin bowling, and Shamsi’s comfort in subcontinental conditions gives him an edge that plenty of overseas signings simply don’t have. He gives Turner an attacking option capable of removing dangerous batters outright, rather than just slowing the run rate down.
Ahmed Daniyal: The Pace Option With the Most Upside
Of the four players carried over from the Sialkot Stallionz retention pool, Ahmed Daniyal offers the most explosive ceiling as a fast bowler. At 28, the right-arm pacer has consistently troubled domestic batters with genuine bounce and lateral movement, and he bowls with clear intent rather than a purely defensive approach.
In PSL conditions, where raw pace can level the contest against even well-set batters, Daniyal is Multan’s primary new-ball weapon alongside Peter Siddle. If he’s on song during the powerplay, he has the tools to unsettle top orders before they get comfortable.
The Wildcard Worth Watching: Josh Philippe
Australia’s Josh Philippe, signed for PKR 2.3 crore, might be the most quietly interesting name in this entire squad. He’s an explosive wicketkeeper-batter who’s shown real form in recent BBL seasons, and he’s capable of opening the innings with genuine intent from the first ball. If Multan decide to lean fully aggressive at the top of the order, Philippe gives them another overseas option who can change a match inside the powerplay alone.
Realistic Title Chances for This Rebuilt Squad
Multan Sultans can genuinely compete in PSL 11, but the case comes with real conditions attached. Smith and Farhan at the top form a strong pairing, Nawaz at six is a matchup nightmare for opposition captains, Shamsi can win matches outright in the middle overs, and Turner has the franchise-cricket experience to lead under pressure.
The clearest concern is middle-order depth. Batting positions four through six lean heavily on Turner himself, who’s also managing the captaincy load simultaneously — a demanding combination if Smith and Farhan both fail early in a chase. The bowling attack, built around Shamsi, Daniyal, and Siddle, is solid without being genuinely elite, meaning consistency across all three will matter more for Multan than it will for teams with deeper bowling reserves.
Based on the squad as a whole, a playoff push looks realistic. A deeper run into the tournament likely depends on Steve Smith batting at his best consistently and Shamsi finding his sharpest form on Pakistani surfaces specifically.
FAQs: Multan Sultans PSL 2026
Who is the captain of Multan Sultans in PSL 2026? Ashton Turner of Australia, who replaced Mohammad Rizwan after Rizwan moved to the newly formed Pindiz franchise.
Is Mohammad Rizwan still with Multan Sultans? No — Rizwan now captains Pindiz, the franchise that took over the original Multan Sultans brand and relocated to Rawalpindi.
Who is the most valuable player in the Multan Sultans PSL 2026 squad? Mohammad Nawaz, retained at PKR 6.16 crore, holds the highest value in the squad, while Sahibzada Farhan’s PKR 5.70 crore fee was the team’s biggest auction purchase.
Who is the head coach of Multan Sultans in PSL 2026? Tim Paine, the former Australian Test captain, was appointed head coach ahead of the season.
For more on how the wider league changed this season, our full Lahore Qalandars PSL 2026 squad breakdown covers how the defending champions rebuilt around their own core. Official squad details and auction pricing can be verified via ESPNcricinfo and Geo Super. Think this rebuilt Multan side can go all the way — share your prediction in the comments below.
Season Update:
Multan Sultans — How Their PSL 11 Season Went
Multan were the tournament’s most dependable side for most of the group stage — six wins from ten, a positive NRR, and a batting lineup anchored by Steve Smith and Shan Masood that rarely let them down. A defeat to Islamabad United on the final league day cost them second spot, which meant a tougher road through Eliminator 1 instead of a direct shot at the Qualifier. That’s where their season ended — an 8-wicket loss to a Hyderabad Kingsmen side playing with nothing to lose. Solid all season, but the playoffs didn’t go their way.