Multan Sultans are reportedly lining up England all-rounder Ben Stokes as their marquee direct signing for the 12th season of the Pakistan Super League, in what would be one of the biggest signings in the tournament's history.
Franchise owner and chief executive Gohar Shah has confirmed that the Sultans' direct signing will be an English player, though he has stopped short of naming him. Reports in Pakistan have since identified Stokes as the leading candidate, and speculation has been growing as the signing window enters its final days.
Stokes has been linked with the PSL for some time. In September, The Guardian reported that he had held talks with franchises from the PSL and from Major League Cricket in the United States about their 2027 seasons, the first firm sign that the former England captain was open to franchise cricket after stepping away from the international game.
Any deal, however, may not be straightforward. Although Stokes retired from international cricket in June 2026, he remains registered with Durham, his county side, which means he could still need a No-Objection Certificate from the England and Wales Cricket Board before playing in an overseas league. That clearance is one of the details the Sultans and the player would need to settle before anything is signed.
Stokes has already made his first move into franchise cricket since retirement, signing with the Adelaide Strikers for the 2026-27 Big Bash League season in Australia. That deal marks his return to the Australian T20 competition and shows he is willing to play league cricket around the world. A PSL stint would put one of the modern game's most recognisable names in front of Pakistani crowds.
There is little doubt about what Stokes would bring on the field. He retired after a 15-year international career that began in 2011, finishing with 122 Test matches, 7,273 runs at an average of 34.46, including 14 centuries, and 252 wickets. His highest Test score of 258 against South Africa remains the most runs ever made by a number six in Test cricket, and his 138 sixes are a record for the format. He is only the second player in history, after South Africa's Jacques Kallis, to score 7,000 Test runs and take 250 Test wickets.
His reputation, though, rests on more than numbers. Stokes was the hero of England's 2019 World Cup final win at Lord's, where his unbeaten 84 dragged the match into a super over, and he hit the unbeaten half-century that carried England past Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne. As Test captain from 2022, he led England to 24 wins in 44 matches alongside coach Brendon McCullum. He announced his retirement on June 28, 2026, during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, bringing down the curtain on one of the great all-round careers.
The PCB has allowed each PSL franchise to sign one marquee player directly this year, provided the player did not feature in PSL 10 or PSL 11. The direct signing window opened on October 23 and closes on November 23, 2026. The player auction for PSL 12 is set for January 23, 2027, and the tournament will run from March 18 to May 2, 2027, with 44 matches across five or six venues.
For Multan, a signing of Stokes's stature would be a statement of intent under new ownership. The Sultans were founded in 2017 as the league's sixth franchise and won their only PSL title in 2021, beating Peshawar Zalmi in the final under Mohammad Rizwan and coach Andy Flower. They reached the final in each of the next three seasons, finishing as runners-up in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The franchise changed hands after the Tareen family's long stewardship ended in late 2025, and Gohar Shah of CD Ventures took full control in February 2026.
A player like Stokes would give the Sultans a genuine all-round option and a leader's presence in the dressing room, while handing the league a marquee name to promote ahead of a 44-match season. The PSL has always relied on overseas stars to add glamour to its local core, and few names still carry the weight of Stokes, even after his international retirement. His record in big matches and his experience as a captain would be valuable to any franchise, but particularly to a Multan side looking to rebuild its identity under new owners.
For now, though, nothing has been officially announced, and the Sultans have yet to confirm any agreement. The signing window closes on November 23, so supporters will not have long to wait. If the deal is completed, it will be one of the most talked-about signings of the PSL 12 build-up; if it falls through, whether over the NOC or for another reason, Multan will have to move quickly to their next option. Either way, the coming days will say a great deal about how the new owners plan to run one of the league's proudest franchises.
