Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise owners are reportedly considering a shadow ban on signing Pakistani cricketers following concerns over the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) alleged No-objection Certificate (NoC) policy.
According to a report, citing a source close to an MLC team owner, the PCB is reportedly demanding an unannounced fee of $25,000 (around ₹24 lakh) per player before issuing an NoC. The document is mandatory under ICC regulations and is required for players to participate in overseas franchise leagues.
The report claims that some MLC franchise owners have described the reported demand as unfair comparing with extortion, with concerns centred on the timing and lack of transparency surrounding the fee rather than political reasons.
This season, fast bowler Haris Rauf is the only Pakistani player in the MLC and is representing the San Francisco Unicorns, who reportedly agreed to pay the fee.
Paying a player’s home cricket board is not unusual in franchise cricket. For example, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly shares around 10–20% of an overseas player’s IPL auction contract with their home board. However, the report noted that MLC does not have a similar policy, making the PCB’s reported demand an exception.
The report further alleged that the PCB is the only cricket board asking for such compensation in MLC and that franchises are informed about the fee only after player recruitment is complete, leaving them with limited options.
According to the report, MLC owners have raised the issue with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, arguing that there is no publicly available policy explaining the reported charges. The report added that the PCB maintained it had the right to seek the payment. It also claimed that even after paying the fee, franchises are not guaranteed that the NoC will remain valid, as fresh payments could reportedly be required if another clearance becomes necessary.
The PCB has not publicly responded to these claims.
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