PCB Refuses NOCs for Pakistani Players in APL 2026

The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided against issuing no-objection certificates to Pakistani players registered for the Afghanistan Premier League, reports said on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The decision shuts the door on more than 30 players who had put their names forward for the draft — and leaves Mohammad Amir, who entered the competition as a British citizen, as the one exception.

What the board decided

The board will not grant NOCs to Pakistani players for the league, and the decision extends to any player taking part in the competition, including those also involved in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. No detailed public reason has been given for the refusal; the reporting around the decision attributes it to the current situation, without giving further detail. The draft register published by the Afghanistan Cricket Board had already made the availability of Pakistani players subject to clearance from the PCB, so the ruling formalises a position that had been expected for several days.

The players left waiting

More than 30 Pakistani players had registered for the draft, among them Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hasan Ali, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim. None of them appeared among the selections announced from the draft, and with the board's ruling now confirmed, their wait is over — they will not be part of the first season of the relaunched league. For several of them, it is a missed chance to play in a new tournament at a time when franchise cricket offers some of the best-paid work in the game.

Why Amir can still play

Amir's case is different. The former Pakistan fast bowler, 34, registered for the draft as a UK national after acquiring British citizenship, and he lives in England. That puts him outside the PCB's NOC process, and Kandahar Warriors picked him in the Platinum category — the only Pakistani, past or present, to be selected in the draft. His presence gives the league a familiar name with real pedigree: a left-arm fast bowler who has played international cricket across formats and in franchise leagues around the world.

Akram turns down the mentor role

Wasim Akram was also part of the story. The former Pakistan captain was offered a mentor role in the league but chose not to take it, deciding against going against the board's policy. His decision underlines how firmly the board's position is understood inside Pakistan cricket: even a figure of Akram's standing, with nothing to gain or lose from an NOC himself, stepped back rather than cross it.

What it means for the league

For the league itself, the ruling changes the shape of the overseas pool but not the schedule. The relaunched competition starts on 27 December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates, with five teams and squads already confirmed. The overseas cast still has plenty of star power — Rashid Khan, Shakib Al Hasan, Moeen Ali and Wanindu Hasaranga are among the names signed up — so the league does not depend on the Pakistani contingent to sell itself. Even so, losing more than 30 registered players, including several current internationals, takes a recognisable flavour out of the tournament and closes off a natural rivalry storyline for its first season back.

There is a precedent, too. In the inaugural season in 2018, the board also withheld NOCs from active Pakistani players, and only retired players took part. The 2026 decision follows the same pattern, and it suggests the policy is settled rather than a one-off reaction to this season's circumstances.

What happens next

Nothing in the reporting suggests the decision will be revisited before the season starts. The players affected will turn their attention to Pakistan's domestic season and other leagues where clearance is not an issue, while the league's focus moves to its opening day on 27 December. For the teams, the picture is now final: their squads are set, Amir is the only Pakistani name on them, and the countdown to the first ball can begin.