Taliban has banned Afghanistan’s male cricketers from participating in PSL: Afghanistan cricketers will not be allowed to participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year. The Taliban-led Afghan government has reportedly refused to grant No Objection Certificates (NOC) to its players for the upcoming PSL 2026.
Afghanistan players banned from PSL
The Afghanistan government has decided not to allow its players to participate in the Pakistan Super League 2026, which will further damage relations between the two Asian countries, reports Telecom Asia Sport.
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This decision comes after the recent air strikes on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which have created tension between the two countries. On the same day, news came that Afghanistan’s talented opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has withdrawn his name from PSL 2026.
The Afghanistan government has refused to give NOC to its players to participate in the Pakistan Super League. pic.twitter.com/zilNaDyMuS
-Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) 7 February 2026
Rahmanullah Gurbaz withdraws from PSL
Rahmanullah Gurbaz withdrew his name from PSL 2026 after Peshawar Zalmi announced signing him on a contract for an undisclosed amount. Gurbaz said that he withdrew from the Pakistan League due to his schedule and personal reasons, but reports suggest that border tensions influenced his decision.
The Afghanistan opening batsman has played in many big franchise leagues including IPL, BPL, CPL, SA20 and ILT20. Even the Afghan star has previously played three PSL seasons: for Multan Sultans in 2021 and Islamabad United in 2022 and 2023.
Gurbaz posted on Instagram, “Salute to all, fans from everywhere After the World Cup, I will not be available for PSL this season due to my schedule. I will focus more on my foundation’s work in Afghanistan. Thanks for all the love and support. “
Cross-border tension is continuously affecting cricket.
Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan are already tense. Afghanistan had pulled out of the triangular T20 series in Pakistan in November 2025 after three local players were killed in air strikes last year.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said that three young players named Kabir Agha, Sibgatullah and Haroon were killed in the attacks and described their deaths as “a great loss to Afghanistan’s sporting community, its athletes and the cricket family”.
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Pakistan asked why the players were at a terrorist hideout that was targeted based on intelligence inputs. The attack took place at a house in the Urgon district of Paktika province, where the players were having dinner after a match.
However, Pakistan insisted that civilians or players were not targeted in the attacks, but Afghanistan did not accept this. Even talks between the two countries failed last year.
PSL is getting bigger and richer
Pakistan Super League is big this year, in which there will be an auction of players for the first time. PSL has increased the salary cap for teams to Rs 50 crore. Two new teams, Hyderabad and Sialkot, have been added for the 11th edition of the league starting March 26. Each team can sign one player outright and retain four players before the auction on February 11.
No PSL, but IPL deals are on for Afghan stars
Even though they cannot play in Pakistan’s franchise league this year, Afghanistan players will play in other leagues including the Indian Premier League. Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, AM Ghazanfar and Azmatullah Umzai will play in the upcoming IPL 2026.