Gohar Shah, now majority owner of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans and CEO of CD Ventures, once dreamed of playing professional cricket in Pakistan.
Shah revealed on a recent television programme that he had been selected for the Lahore Qalandars trial but saw his playing ambitions end abruptly due to an untimely injury.
Shah recalled that he had attended the Lahore trial in 2017 at Qaddafi Stadium, where trials were held in every city, and that he had bowled four or five balls during his session.
One of his deliveries was clocked at 84 miles per hour, earning him selection, but only days before the tournament, an injury forced him to withdraw, ending his professional playing opportunity.
Shah explained, “All selected boys went to Muzaffarabad for the tournament. Unfortunately, I got injured a couple of days before it, and that’s when Salman Irshad and Maz Khan emerged.”
The injury marked the end of the ambitions of Shah on the field but strengthened his connection to cricket, eventually leading him to transition into cricket entrepreneurship and team ownership.
Under the leadership of Shah, CD Ventures successfully petitioned the Pakistan Cricket Board to rename the newly established Sialkot Stallionz franchise as Multan Sultans.
The rebranding, confirmed by PCB and PSL officials, increased the franchise’s annual value and helped Shah establish one of Pakistan’s most prominent T20 teams in domestic cricket.
Today, Gohar Shah demonstrates that while injuries may halt a player’s career, they can redirect passion into leadership roles, leading to significant achievements off the field in cricket management.
