Franchise investors in Major League Cricket are reportedly organizing a shadow ban against contracting Pakistani cricket players. This development stems from recent financial mandates enforced by Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. A comprehensive piece published by pakpassion.com indicates that the regulatory cricket body demanded a substantial, eleventh-hour fee to authorize the mandatory No Objection Certificates required for athlete participation in the North American tournament.
According to International Cricket Council regulations, professional competitors are strictly barred from appearing in external domestic tournaments without explicit clearance from their home association. The governing body now faces allegations of demanding an unexpected fee of $25,000 per player to issue the required NOCs.
“It’s more the extortion the PCB does. Basically, through the year, they won’t say anything. And then right towards the start of the tournament, when they have to give their NOCs, they send an email saying that for the NOC, it will be $25,000 for each player,” the report said.
MLC Franchises Allege Last-Minute Pressure Tactics
The investigative report emphasizes that these financial demands are allegedly communicated only days before the tournament begins, leaving franchises with little opportunity to revise their squads.
“Around a week before the tournament starts when they know we can’t find other players, we’ve announced the players and cannot replace them, that’s when they’ll come back and say you have to pay $25,000 per player for an NOC. We’ll ask them why they did not tell us this before and they won’t respond,” it added.
Tournament organizers reportedly raised the issue directly with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, arguing that the process placed unfair financial pressure on franchises.
“We’ve talked to Mohsin Naqvi as well and said to him that this is extortion. This is not the right way to do it. But we were told by the Board that this is their revenue and their right to ask for this money,” the report said.
Franchises Cite Uncertainty Over Signing Pakistani Players
The report further claims that even after paying the fee, franchises have no guarantee that player availability will remain unchanged, as the PCB can reportedly revoke NOCs or impose additional conditions if required.
“One of the reasons teams at the MLC don’t sign Pakistani players is because we don’t like the uncertainty around all of this. Every season there is this uncertainty looming regarding paying this money. No other Board asks the MLC teams for these additional payments. The franchises run on budgets and suddenly they are expected to free up a chunk of their budget from somewhere to pay for this. That’s never good. The franchises need to plan for the season properly and not have this situation hanging over them.”
Haris Rauf Remains the Lone Pakistani Player in MLC
As a result of the reported uncertainty surrounding NOC approvals and associated costs, Haris Rauf is the only Pakistani cricketer featuring in this season’s Major League Cricket. The San Francisco Unicorns secured his services after reportedly agreeing to the PCB’s financial conditions.
