Uncertainty Looms Over Bangladeshi Cricketers’ Participation in PSL

With no immediate international cricket commitments for Bangladesh players, many are currently enjoying the Eid holidays. However, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to begin on 26 March, and several Bangladeshi cricketers have secured contracts with franchises. Despite this, their participation remains uncertain as they are yet to receive No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

On Monday (16 March), BCB Cricket Operations Chief Nazmul Abedeen Fahim addressed the issue, stating that decisions on granting NOCs will be taken after careful consideration of multiple factors.

He said: “We will try to ensure that players needed here are available. In ODIs, we will not compromise at all. If we feel that allowing a player to go there will benefit his T20 development and we have a suitable replacement here, then we will grant permission.”

Emphasizing that national interest comes first, he added: “We are following this policy. Our effort will be to protect our own interests while granting as much leeway as possible. PSL is a good competition — going there gives our boys valuable experience and helps them mature. Keeping that in mind, we will make these decisions. We haven’t finalized anything yet, but we hope it will be decided very soon.”

Reflecting on the recent Pakistan series, he said: “It was a challenging series for us. Given our current ranking and the prerequisites for qualifying for the next ODI World Cup, ranking points were crucial. Fortunately, we overcame those challenges in this series.”

Expressing a slight regret, he noted: “Our expectation was higher. If we had won 3-0, our position could have improved further. But considering Pakistan — currently ranked fourth — this performance and result are satisfactory.”