Sahibzada Farhan and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi in frame | PC- AFP
After being banned from the Indian Premier League, the Pakistani cricketer could face another axing from a franchise league.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) still hasn’t issued NOCs to its players to participate in the upcoming Nepal Premier League (NPL 2026) season; this could result in the Pakistani players being banned or suspended from the league.
CAN to ban or suspend Pakistan players after PCB delays NoCs for NPL 2026
According to a reliable report by Nepal's Rhinos Army, the top officials at the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) are furious at the PCB for not issuing the NoCs.
Moreover, the President of the Nepal board has categorically stated that no Pakistan player will play in the upcoming league unless they sort out the issue with the PCB.
"None of the Pakistani players will play in NPL 3 if the Pakistan board continues the NOC issue," CAN President Chatur Bahadur Chand said.
If reports are to be believed, the Nepal board could impose a temporary or permanent ban on all Pakistani players involved in the NPL.
"CAN members are reportedly furious with the PCB’s conduct and are considering imposing temporary or permanent suspensions on all Pakistani players involved in the NPL," the report stated.
"A major decision could be on the horizon as tensions between the two boards continue to escalate."
A total of seven Pakistan cricketers have signed contracts with the franchises in the NPL 2026. The list includes Pakistan's T20I captain Sahibzada Farhan, Haider Ali, Hunain Shah, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasan Ali and Usama Mir.
Although Sahibzada Farhan was recently picked for the ODI squad for the Tri-Series in Pakistan, none of the mentioned players is currently in their plans.
Nevertheless, the NPL 2026 is set to run between October 26 and November 21.
PCB's Introduces five-category contract system: Reports
Reportedly, the PCB has developed an interesting set of annual contracts across five categories. The Pakistan board will contract a pool of 30 cricketers across these categories.
Notably, the Test-bound cricketers will be in the highest category, i.e. AB. It will be followed by Track A, BC, and C. In the last category, the T20 specialists will be contracted and will not need any NOC from the board.
As per a report by Samaa TV, the Track D category will feature the emerging players; however, the PCB hasn’t yet made any public announcement about the 2026/27 annual contracts.
