Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise owners are reportedly considering an unofficial ban on signing Pakistani cricketers in future seasons.
However, unlike the Indian Premier League (IPL), the issue is not linked to political reasons.
According to a report by PakPassion, the growing concern among MLC owners is the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) handling of No-objection Certificates (NoCs), with some franchise officials reportedly describing the board’s approach as unfair.
Report claims PCB demands $25,000 for NoCs
The report, citing a source close to an MLC team owner, claimed that the PCB asks franchises to pay $25,000 (around Rs 24 lakh) for issuing a NoC to each Pakistani player.
A NoC is an ICC-mandated document that allows a cricketer to participate in overseas franchise leagues. Without it, players are not eligible to take part in competitions like MLC.
This season, fast bowler Haris Rauf is the only Pakistani player in the tournament. He is representing the San Francisco Unicorns, who reportedly agreed to pay the required fee.
How does this differ from the IPL?
Paying a player’s home cricket board is not unusual in franchise cricket. For example, IPL franchises pay a percentage of an overseas player’s contract to their respective cricket boards through an established system. According to the report, the BCCI transfers around 10-20% of an overseas player’s IPL contract value to the player’s home board.
However, the report claimed that MLC has no such official policy, making the PCB’s demand different from the practices followed by other cricket boards.
Timing of fee sparks controversy
The issue is reportedly not limited to the amount being charged. According to the report, MLC franchises are informed about the PCB’s NoC fee only after they have already signed a player.
By that stage, replacing the player is often no longer a practical option, leaving teams with little choice but to pay. The report also claimed that the PCB is the only cricket board currently following this approach.
MLC owners raise concerns with PCB chairman
The report stated that several MLC franchise owners have raised the matter with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, arguing that the unexpected fee amounts to ‘extortion’ because there is no publicly available policy explaining the charges.
According to the report, Naqvi defended the PCB’s position and told franchise representatives that the board believes it has the right to request the payment.
No guarantee even after payment, report claims
The report further alleged that paying the NoC fee does not necessarily provide long-term security for franchises.
It claimed that if a NoC has to be reissued or renewed for any reason, the PCB can withdraw the previous clearance and ask for another payment, creating further uncertainty for teams.
Future of Pakistani players in MLC remains uncertain
While there has been no official announcement of a ban, the reported dissatisfaction among franchise owners could affect the chances of Pakistani cricketers being signed by MLC teams in the future.
Neither the PCB nor Major League Cricket has officially commented on the report, but the issue has sparked fresh debate over transparency and player availability in franchise cricket.