Afghanistan men’s cricketers banned by Taliban from....
Published - 08 Feb 2026, 11:20 AM | Updated - 08 Feb 2026, 11:21 AM
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Afghanistan men’s cricketers banned by Taliban from taking part in PSL: Afghanistan cricketers will not be allowed to take part in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year. The Afghan government, headed by the Taliban, has reportedly refused to give No Objection Certificates (NOC) for its players for the upcoming PSL 2026.
Afghanistan players banned from PSL
As reported by Telecom Asia Sport, the Afghanistan government has decided not to allow its players to participate in Pakistan’s Pakistan Super League 2026, further damaging the relationship between the two Asian countries.
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This decision comes after recent air strikes across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which have created tension between the two countries. The news came the same day that Afghanistan’s talented opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz pulled out of the PSL 2026.
Afghanistan government has refused to grant NOCs to its players for participation in the Pakistan Super League. pic.twitter.com/zilNaDyMuS
— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) February 7, 2026
Rahmanullah Gurbaz withdraws from PSL
Rahmanullah Gurbaz pulled out of the PSL 2026 after Peshawar Zalmi announced they signed him for an unknown amount of money. Gurbaz said that he withdrew from the Pakistan league for his schedule and personal reasons, but reports suggest the border tensions influenced his decision.
The Afghanistan opener has played in many big franchise leagues, including the IPL, BPL, CPL, SA20, and ILT20. Even the Afghan star has also played three PSL seasons before: Multan Sultans in 2021 and Islamabad United in 2022 and 2023.
Gurbaz posted on Instagram, “Salam everyone, fans from everywhere ❤️ After the World Cup, I won’t be available for the PSL this season due to my schedule. I’ll be focusing more on my foundation work in Afghanistan. Thank you for all the love and support. 👏🫶”
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Cross-border tension continues to affect cricket.
Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan are already tense. Last year, Afghanistan withdrew from the Tri-Nation T20 series in Pakistan in November 2025 after three local players were killed in air strikes.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said that the three young players named Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon were killed in the attacks and called their deaths “a great loss for Afghanistan's sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family.”
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Pakistan asked why the players were at a terrorist hideout that was targeted based on intelligence. The strike hit a house in the Urgon district, Paktika province, where the players were having dinner after a match.
However, Pakistan insisted that the strikes did not target civilians or players, but Afghanistan did not accept this. Even the dialogue between the two countries also failed last year.
PSL gets bigger and richer
The Pakistan Super League is bigger this year, which will also see the first-ever player auction. The PSL has increased the salary cap for teams to 50 crore. Two new teams, Hyderabad and Sialkot, are added for the 11th edition of the league, starting on March 26. Each team can sign one player directly and keep four players before the auction on February 11.
No PSL, but IPL deals 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 Omarzai will play in the upcoming IPL 2026.
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