Bangladesh Takes Unreal Step In World Cricket For Nahid Rana After Babar Azam's Peshawar Qualify For PSL Final

Tamim Iqbal Nahid Rana Babar Azam. Image Credits: AFP/X

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has reversed its decision to withdraw the No Objection Certificate to its pacer Nahid Rana, who is playing for Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL 2026).

This comes after Peshawar Zalmi, who are captained by Babar Azam, have qualified for the final of the Pakistan Super League, thanks to their recent win over Islamabad United in Karachi on April 28, 2026.

Peshawar Zalmi defeats Islamabad United to qualify for the PSL 2026 final; Babar Azam shines

Peshawar Zalmi had clashed with Islamabad United at the National Stadium in Karachi on April 28, with a spot in the final up for grabs. Islamabad captain Shadab Khan won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Zalmi captain Babar Azam led from the front and scored a sublime 103 with 12 fours and 4 sixes, and with 41 by Kusal Mendis and 35 by Mohammad Haris, Zalmi posted 221/7 in 20 overs. 

In response, Islamabad started well with Sameer Minhas scoring 44, Mohsin Riaz making 25, and Devon Conway scoring 20. But then Aaron Hardie’s 3/24 and Mohammad Basit’s two wickets halted their charge, and Islamabad was bowled out for 151 runs and lost the game by 70 runs.

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BCB withdraws Nahid Rana's and Mustafizur Rahman’s NOCs for PSL

Six days ago, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had withdrawn the No Objection Certificates (NOC) for their pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Nahid Rana for the remainder of PSL 2026. Mustafizur and Rana were playing for Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, respectively, before returning home for the Bangladesh-New Zealand one-day international series.

While Mustafizur was nursing a knee injury, BCB decided to give Nahid Rana some rest as well, despite his brilliant bowling for Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL 2026. In addition to being fast and accurate, Rana was outstanding for Zalmi, capturing four wickets. In four games, he claimed seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.42.

Peshawar Zalmi receive a reprieve as BCB allows Nahid Rana to play for them in the PSL 2026 final

At the first PSL auction, Babar Azam's club paid PKR 60 lakh to recruit Bangladeshi fast bowler Nahid Rana. He became one of the Peshawar-based team's most effective ball-wielding weapons while representing them with remarkable success. 

For the home ODI series against New Zealand, Nahid Rana took a plane back to Bangladesh after being called back by the Bangladesh board. 

However, reports in media have stated that the Bangladesh Cricket Board had a change of heart and has allowed Nahid Rana to play for Peshawar Zalmi in the final of the PSL 2026 tournament.

This is a big update for the Zalmi team, as Nahid was leading their pace attack, and his presence in the PSL 2026 final for the Babar Azam-led side will be a huge boost for their chances to win the Pakistan Super League final.

The PSL 2026 final will be played on May 03 at the National Stadium in Karachi, with Peshawar Zalmi playing the winner of the Eliminator match.

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