Afghanistan ban Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman from playing foreign franchise cricket for two years
The participation of Afghanistan players Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the upcoming 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is in doubt. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has decided not to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the aforementioned names for overseas franchise-based leagues for the next two years, as a disciplinary measure.
The action was taken after the trio reportedly expressed a desire to be released from the central contract.
Making the announcement, the board wrote:
"ACB Impose Sanctions and Delay Central Contracts of Three National Players. The Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to delay the 2024 annual central contracts for national players, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, and Naveen Ul Haq Mureed. Additionally, the Board has opted not to grant them No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the next two years following their intention to be released from their annual central contracts."
ACB has seemingly reprimanded Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman for prioritizing franchise-based leagues over Afghanistan cricket. The board has also set up a committee to investigate the matter. Furthermore, the three players will also lose their central contract for one year.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL 2024 auction
Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at his base price of ₹2 crore at the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction.
The crafty bowler was slated to make his IPL return after three years. However, it remains to be seen if he will be granted an NOC by the ACB for the competition.
Naveen-ul-Haq, on the other hand, was sold to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the IPL 2023. The right-arm pacer picked up 11 wickets from eight outings at an economy rate of 7.82 last season. He was retained by the franchise prior to the IPL 2024 mini-auction.
Fazalhaq Farooqi was also retained by SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of the mini-auction. The left-arm seamer was signed by SRH for ₹50 lakh and has played two seasons for them so far. He has six wickets to his name from seven games at an economy rate of 8.96.