Blessing Muzarabani plays for KKR in IPL 2026 (Image: Crex)
In a significant development, Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has been slammed with a two-year ban from the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sanctioned Muzarabani for withdrawing from the 2026 season after agreeing to play for Islamabad United.
The news comes exactly a month after the pacer pulled out of the PSL to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Despite agreeing to PSL’s contractual terms, Muzarabani joined IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement bowler.
Why did PSL ban Blessing Muzarabani?
The PCB imposed the two-year ban on Muzarabani from the PSL for breaching a binding contract. Roped in as Shamar Joseph’s replacement, Muzarabani withdrew after KKR approached the pacer following an exceptional T20 World Cup 2026.
In the statement released by the board, Mohsin Naqvi’s PCB deemed Muzarabani’s decision to switch leagues a violation of professional ethics and contractual obligations, as he had already agreed to terms with the PSL franchise.
The ban is effective immediately, making him ineligible to participate in the next two editions of the PSL, including the 2027 and 2028 editions.
That said, in this article, we examine whether the ban impacts Muzarabani financially or not.
Comparing Blessing Muzarabani IPL 2026 Price vs PSL 2026 Price
Earlier, Muzarabani had secured a deal with Islamabad United in the PSL 2026 for PKR 11 million, which roughly translates to 37.6 Lakh Indian Rupees. Blessing Muzarabani was initially unsold at the PSL 2026 auction but later signed a direct deal with Islamabad United.
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However, after a fabulous run in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, the Zimbabwe bowler was approached by the IPL franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, who had been suffering due to several player injuries and the ban on Mustafizur Rahman.
Thus, Blessing opted to withdraw from the PSL and joined KKR ahead of IPL 2026 at his base price of ₹75 lakh.
Significantly, Blessing Muzarabani’s IPL 2026 Price (₹75 lakh) marks an approximate 100% increase from his PSL 2026 salary (₹37.6 lakh), 99.47% to be precise.
Will the PSL ban affect Blessing Muzarabani’s finances?
It is worth noting that while Blessing Muzarabani’s IPL contract is almost double his PSL salary, he is likely to suffer a financial loss in the coming years due to the ban. Let’s decode how.
Blessing was signed by KKR after concluding the 2026 T20 World Cup as the joint third-highest wicket-taker with 13 wickets in 7 matches. His performance also earned him a spot in the ICC Team of the Tournament.
However, so far in the IPL 2026, despite big expectations, Muzarabani has not been highly impactful. Featuring in just two games, he has taken four wickets at an economy rate of 10.71. Consequently, he has been ruled out of the playing 11.
Apart from that, though injured or unavailable for the IPL 2026, KKR already has a plethora of talented match-winners in its pace bowling, namely Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana, Akash Deep, Vaibhav Arora, and Kartik Tyagi, who has been a pick of the season so far.
Thus, the Kolkata-based IPL franchise is less likely to retain Muzarabani for the IPL 2027. However, if he manages to make an exceptional comeback and secures an IPL contract for another season, he is most likely to be unfazed by the PSL ban.
To conclude, whether the two-year PSL ban will affect Blessing Muzarabani in the long term or not depends on whether he succeeds in retaining an IPL contract in the future.
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