Twenty-nine cricketers from Pakistan have formally registered their names for the upcoming Afghanistan Premier League draft, even though the Pakistan Cricket Board is widely expected to decline their respective No-Objection Certificate requests ahead of the tournament.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has received these player registrations ahead of the franchise competition, which is officially scheduled to begin on December 27, 2026. A total of 462 players from various nationalities have been shortlisted across the different draft categories for the five-team tournament.
Several prominent names currently involved in Pakistan's white-ball plans are included in the list of registrants, featuring fast bowler Naseem Shah alongside batting options such as Saim Ayub, Arafat Minhas, and Hasan Nawaz. Other notable Pakistani players who have signed up for the draft comprise Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, and Hasan Ali.
The player pool further features experienced campaigners and domestic performers including Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Mohammad Haris, Azam Khan, Tayyab Tahir, and Iftikhar Ahmed. Haider Ali, Saad Baig, Jahandad Khan, Khurram Shehzad, Kamran Ghulam, Sharjeel Khan, Abdul Samad, and Irfan Khan Niazi have also put their names forward.
The registration list is rounded out by Usman Qadir, Rumman Raees, Sameer Minhas, and Gazi Ghori, bringing the total number of registered Pakistan players to 29. Among them, Fakhar Zaman enters the draft following a strong run of form that recently saw him finish as the top scorer in an One Day International tri-series final hosted in Lahore.
In addition to the Pakistani contingent, ten players from Bangladesh have also registered their availability for the league. Shakib Al Hasan has been placed in the Diamond bracket, while Rishad Hossain occupies a spot in the Platinum bracket. The Bangladesh group also includes Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Mushfiqur Rahim.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has maintained a strict stance regarding NOCs for overseas franchise leagues over recent months. During the Nepal Premier League in October 2026, the board withheld clearance for seven Pakistan players, mirroring a similar standoff surrounding the Major League Cricket competition in July 2026. Both of those previous disputes centred on a reported fee of USD 25,000 per player that the board sought to collect from participating franchises. Alongside financial considerations, ongoing diplomatic tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have frequently been cited as an underlying factor in clearance refusals.
When questioned about the likelihood of granting NOCs for the upcoming Afghanistan tournament, an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board delivered a blunt response by stating they did not think approval would be granted. That single assessment effectively signals that the majority of the 29 registered players will likely fail to receive the necessary clearance to take part, regardless of their formal inclusion in the draft pool.
One notable exception involves Mohammad Amir, who chose to register for the draft as a United Kingdom national rather than under Pakistan. Holding British citizenship and listing the UK as his country of residence, Amir's registration method successfully bypasses the specific NOC requirements that apply to players registered under the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The Afghanistan Premier League operates as a five-team competition with strict squad parameters, allowing between six and seven overseas player slots per side. Team purses for the participating franchises are set between USD 650,000 and USD 750,000, establishing a defined spending ceiling for the auction process. Players placed in the top Platinum category command baseline fees of USD 100,000, making them the most expensive bracket available.
While the comprehensive draft pool of 462 players demonstrates the league's ambition to attract global talent, the consistent reluctance of the Pakistan board to issue NOCs means that actual representation from Pakistan in the final squads could be heavily restricted. The tournament itself remains on course to commence on December 27, 2026, with franchises finalising their preparations ahead of the draft.
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