PCB's $10,000 NOC fee leaves Pakistan players in doubt for Abu Dhabi T10
Sixteen players, including Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan, were picked at the September 30 draft for a league that opens on November 7.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has withheld the no-objection certificates of the 16 Pakistani cricketers chosen for the Abu Dhabi T10 League and asked for $10,000 for each one, Minute Mirror reported, leaving their participation uncertain two days before the event opens on November 7.
Minute Mirror, citing ESPNcricinfo, reported that the league's management filed the NOC applications soon after the draft on September 30 and that the board set out the fee at the start of this week. Five of the six franchises picked Pakistani players.
Royal Desert Champions took Naseem Shah. UAE Bulls took Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Khawaja Nafay, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jnr. United Tigers took Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Sufyan Moqeem and Abbas Afridi. Arabian Aces took Salman Irshad, and Emirates Eagles took Akif Javed, Hasan Nawaz and Ali Raza.
News18 reported that the league turned down the demand, given in its account as Rs 12 lakh, and told the players to pay the charge themselves or stay away. Minute Mirror reported that some players were weighing paying it out of their tournament earnings if franchise owners declined. The two outlets put the sum differently: Minute Mirror said $10,000 per certificate, News18 said Rs 12 lakh.
Franchises had built their squads around the availability of the Pakistani signings, and the timing left little room to sign replacements. Several teams have started looking at alternative players while talks continue, according to Minute Mirror.
The board has sought payment for NOCs before, and a similar argument arose over the launch of the UAE-based International League T20. Its stated reasoning turns on reciprocal arrangements, with the PCB asking whether overseas leagues and their host countries offer comparable openings to foreign players in the Pakistan Super League. A PCB official quoted in the ESPNcricinfo report said the reasoning behind the policy had not changed.
How the reports differ
Minute Mirror, citing ESPNcricinfo, reported that the PCB withheld the certificates until the league or its franchises paid $10,000 each, and that the fee was conveyed at the start of this week. News18 reported that the league had already rejected a demand it put at Rs 12 lakh and told the players to pay or skip the tournament, a response the other two outlets did not carry. Tapmad led on the same prospect of Pakistani players missing the event without giving either the fee or the league's reply. The sum itself differs between the reports: $10,000 per certificate in Minute Mirror, Rs 12 lakh in News18.
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