PSL playoffs: How Minhas brothers turned father's dream into reality

It’s somewhat ironic that the Multani siblings, Arafat Minhas and Sameer Minhas, have showcased their talent behind closed doors at the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Arafat, 21, is a left-arm spinner who has played a key role in Multan Sultans reaching the playoffs with nine wickets from 10 matches.

His younger brother, Sameer, 19, has yet to make his senior Pakistan debut. But the talented batter has dazzled for Islamabad United, scoring 299 runs in nine matches, becoming one of the stars for the three-time champions who also booked their place in the playoffs.

The PSL 2026, played in empty stadiums as a measure to counter the rising fuel prices amid the Middle East war, will welcome fans in the final scheduled for Sunday, May 3.

We don’t yet know if Arafat’s Multan and Sameer’s Islamabad will make it to the title decider.

But the brothers’ cricket journey has a tense backstory — not involving geopolitics, of course.

Their father, Kashif, a former Under-19 cricketer, was hesitant initially to help them pursue cricket, fearing opposition from the family head.

“I played for the Multan Under-19 team. But my father never allowed me to pursue the game — he even threw me out of the house. He said if I played cricket, I had no place in the family. So, I left the family home,” Kashif said during an interview with Khaleej Times on Monday.

Heartbroken by the dramatic turn of events, Kashif’s mother pleaded with him to return.

So Kashif eventually left cricket and joined the family’s car import business.

“After I got married and had two sons (Arafat and Sameer), I realised very early that both of them had a real talent for cricket,” he said.

Sameer and Arafat played with plastic bats in the backyard with hardly anyone noticing as Kashif “didn’t dare” to ask his father if he could take them for proper training.

When his father passed away in 2014, Kashif finally decided to introduce his sons to serious cricket.

“I even hired a Level 2 coach for them. I used to take them to academies, look after their diet, and ensure they had proper nutrition to build strength. My only aim was to make them international cricketers,” he said.

Kashif didn't pause even when the Covid-19 lockdown brought the world to a screeching halt.

“I built cricket pitches on our rooftop, setting up nets and lights so they could keep training. I didn’t want them to lose their rhythm,” he recalled.

Those sacrifices soon paid off as Arafat and Sameer knocked on the Pakistan selectors’ door after excelling in age-group cricket.

“When Arafat was first called up for the Pakistan senior team (in 2023), it was an unforgettable moment for me. I was so proud that I couldn’t express it in words,” he said.

“And when Sameer made the Pakistan Under-19 team, I knew he would do something special — and he proved it with a brilliant match-winning hundred (172 off 113 balls) against India in the final. The whole cricket world noticed him after that!”

Now as the two brothers embark on the playoff journey in the PSL for their respective teams, Islamabad United and Multan Sultans, Kashif said his sons cannot rest on their laurels.

“Now both of them are performing well for their teams in the PSL. It is a beautiful moment for me,” said Kashif, whose youngest son, Abdullah, 15, is also making great progress in age-group cricket.

“But my dream is to see all three of my sons play for Pakistan regularly across formats. If I had a daughter, I would have made her a cricketer too,” he said.

A passionate wildlife photographer who also clicks pictures in cricket matches, Kashif admitted that none of his boys would have reached this far without the support of his wife, Uzma Minhas.

“My wife has played a huge role in their cricket; she used to travel with us for training and matches to far-flung places,” he said.

“What you see today is the result of years of sacrifice and effort from our entire family.”