Pakistan suffered yet another defeat against India, losing the final of the Asia Cup 2025 amidst heated political tensions. Hours later, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a decision that could result in their players losing T20 league contracts across the globe.
It hasn’t been a good period for Pakistan cricket for a while now. Losing their presence from the top franchise T20 circuit could be a big blow to the players. The chances of that happening are high as things stand.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has a massive influence on the game for the kind of revenue Indian cricket brings to the table. Since the inception of Indian Premier League (IPL), the power dynamics have tilted in BCCI’s favour significantly.
In recent years, the IPL team owners have tried to expand their brand in the global franchise circuit. Teams like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals have sister franchises in multiple leagues. SA20 has all six teams with investment from IPL teams. The leagues like ILT20 and MLC also have a strong presence of IPL teams.
The Hundred has now joined the list as well with four IPL franchises buying stakes in four teams. It directly affects Pakistan players as IPL teams have a clear stance on not picking them. This was on display yet again in the recent ILT20 auction, where Desert Vipers were the only team to acquire Pakistan players.
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On October 1, the PCB made a decision to suspend No Objection Certificate (NOC) for players to participate in the T20 leagues around the world. The reason for this decision was not revealed but the players have been informed.
As a result of this, those players who had contracts to participate in the Big Bash League and ILT20 will not be able to fulfill their commitments. The likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi were set to feature in the next BBL edition while Fakhar Zaman and Naseem Shah were bought by Desert Vipers in the ILT20. Even if the PCB allows NOCs to their players in future, these teams might not be too keen to sign them after this ordeal.
Given the dominance of Indian teams in franchise cricket, Pakistan players already have very limited options where they can play. Things like this will only make it harder for them to find a place in top or even 2nd tier leagues.
Moreover, their own T20 league Pakistan Super League (PSL) has fallen off in quality quite significantly. Considered arguably the second best league in the world three years back, PSL doesn’t belong in the top five in current times.
One of the reasons for it is the lack of top international talent in the league. If this doesn’t improve in near future, Pak players will continue to miss out on rubbing shoulders with quality T20 talent and their development will be hindered. Which again will result in them getting isolated from the franchise T20 circuit further.
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