Afghanistan’s Taliban government has reportedly refused to grant NOCs to their players to participate in the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL 2026), resulting in Rahmanullah Gurbaz pulling out of the competition. Gurbaz was signed directly by Peshawar Zalmi for an undisclosed sum just a day before.
With the addition of two new clubs, Hyderabad and Sialkot, for its 11th edition beginning on March 26, the PSL has raised the pay cap for teams to 50 crores, making it a desirable choice for players. Ahead of the first PSL auction on February 11, teams are permitted to directly sign one player with four retentions.
Gurbaz stated "personal reasons" for his withdrawal in a social media post. PSL administrators, according to Telecom Asia Sport, have denied Gurbaz's withdrawal from the competition.
The 24-year-old had previously participated in three PSL seasons, playing for Islamabad United in 2022 and 2023 and Multan Sultans in 2021.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), SA20, and ILT20. He is one of the most sought-after Afghan cricket players in franchise competitions.
Following the deaths of three local players in an airstrike reported to Pakistan last year, Afghanistan withdrew from a tri-series. Afghanistan's withdrawal from a Tri-Nation T20 series in Pakistan is only one example of how cricket has been impacted by the present halt in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In observance of the three cricket players who lost their lives in the airstrikes, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced that it would not be participating in the tri-nation T20 series in November.
Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon were the players who passed away, according to the ACB, which also called their passing "a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family." Pakistan questioned these athletes' attendance at an intelligence-targeted terrorist lair.
(Telecom Asia Sport report)
