PCB's NOC Hold Puts Pakistan Stars' Nepal Premier League Dreams on Ice

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-26

The Nepal Premier League was supposed to be a celebration of regional cricket. Instead, it's turned into a waiting game for a handful of Pakistan's biggest white-ball names. The Pakistan Cricket Board hasn't issued the no-objection certificates (NOCs) needed for players to take part in the tournament, which got underway on Monday. And here's the twist that's raising eyebrows: even some players who'd already received clearance have been told their permission is now on hold. ### What's Actually Happening With the NOCs? According to reporting from Cricinfo, multiple people connected to the tournament confirmed that the PCB has paused permissions across the board, including for players who thought they were good to go. The league runs from October 26 to November 21, with eight teams competing in Kathmandu. Some Pakistan players have already landed in the Nepali capital. Others were packed and ready to fly but have put their travel plans on ice until the situation clears up. The PCB didn't respond to requests for comment on the delay, which leaves everyone guessing. ### The $25,000 Question Here's where things get interesting. People associated with the NPL say the PCB wanted a fee in exchange for issuing the certificates. The figure being floated? Around $25,000 per Pakistan player. Now, before we jump to conclusions, there's no written confirmation that any such demand was formally made. It's also unclear whether money is actually the sticking point here, or whether it's been requested at all. Neither the board nor the league has said anything publicly. > "Teams that signed Pakistan players are essentially sitting on their hands right now, waiting for a decision that nobody seems willing to explain." ### Who's Caught in the Middle? The Pakistan contingent is no small group. It includes T20 captain Sahibzada Farhan, who looked sharp with a 76 against Sri Lanka in the third T20I in Rawalpindi on October 13. Joining him on the list are Haider Ali, Hunain Shah, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasan Ali and Usama Mir. Here's the thing: none of these players are part of a Pakistan squad that overlaps with the league dates. So there's no international commitment standing in the way. On paper, they should be free to play. ### The Central Contract Curveball Earlier this year, the PCB rolled out a new central contract system that splits white-ball and red-ball cricket. One category, called format track D, is designed for T20 specialists. Under this setup, those players can feature in as many T20 leagues as they like, as long as the tournaments don't clash with international duty the board requires. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, the PCB hasn't publicly said which track each player falls under. It also hasn't confirmed whether the new structure is even in effect yet. Even so, none of the players listed for the NPL currently figure in Pakistan's ODI or Test plans. ### What Happens Next? The tournament has already started, and the clock is ticking. Whether these Pakistan players get to suit up depends entirely on whether the PCB issues those certificates in time. Teams that signed Pakistan players are stuck in limbo, unable to finalize their squads until the board makes its move. For now, it's a waiting game, and nobody's quite sure how it'll end.