Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has ruled himself out of playing in the Indian Premier League in the near future after acquiring citizenship of the United Kingdom.
Pakistani players have been banned in the IPL since 2010 due to worsening relations between the two countries.
"I have no intention of playing in the IPL" - Mohammad Amir
In a recent statement, Amir reiterated that he currently does not have any plans to play in the IPL despite being technically eligible for it.
Amir's case in becoming a British citizen was reportedly helped by the fact that his wife, Narjis Khan, is already a British citizen.
Amir also said that despite becoming a British Citizen, he did not have any plans to represent England in international cricket.
"I have no intention of playing in the IPL, and representing England is also not in my plans for the foreseeable future," said Mohammad Amir in a statement.
The southpaw's most recent match for his birth country, Pakistan, came in June 2024. According to the ICC's rules, if he were to switch teams, he wouldn't be eligible to play for England until June 2027.
This statement comes in direct contrast to the one he made last year. In 2025, Mohammad Amir had told Geo News that if the IPL ever clashed with the PSL (as it has been since 2025), he would prefer the IPL.
“Honestly, if I get the opportunity, I’ll definitely play in the IPL. I’m saying this openly. But if I don’t get a chance, then I will play in the PSL. By next year, I will have the opportunity to play in the IPL, and if given the chance, then why not? I will play in the IPL," he had said.
If Mohammad Amir does play the IPL, he wouldn't be the first former Pakistan international to play in the IPL after switching nationalities.
All-rounder Azhar Mahmood acquired a British passport and played in the tournament between 2012 and 2015. Between 2012 and 2013, he played 22 IPL matches for the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) and one match for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2015.
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Mohammad Amir's Pakistan career
Amir originally burst onto the scene in 2009 for his pace and movement despite being just 17 years old. After a strong performance in domestic cricket, he debuted for his country in all three formats that year.
In 2009, he took 6 wickets in 7 matches as Pakistan won the T20 World Cup. He continued to impress in Test cricket as well, becoming the youngest player to take 50 wickets, but a scandal in 2010 broke everything.
In 2010, Amir was accused of deliberately bowling no-balls at specific points in a Test match against England. Fellow pacer Mohammad Asif and captain Salman Butt were eventually convicted of and banned for match-fixing alongside him. The three also served prison sentences.
Butt and Asif never played for Pakistan again, but Amir came back in 2015. It took him some time to find his feet, but in the 2016-17 period, he emerged as one of the world's best bowlers, at least in white-ball cricket.
In 2017, he again played a starring role in the Champions Trophy final, taking three wickets and breaking the back of India's chase of 338. Two years later, he finished as Pakistan's highest wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup with 17 wickets in 8 matches.
In 2019, at the age of just 27, he retired from Test cricket and followed suit in the other two formats the next year. In 2024, he reversed his retirement to play the T20 World Cup for Pakistan, where he took 7 wickets in 4 matches and finished as the team's joint-highest wicket-taker in Pakistan's first-round exit.
In all, Mohammad Amir took 71 wickets in 62 T20Is, 81 wickets in 61 ODIs, and 119 wickets in 36 Tests for Pakistan.
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Mohammad Amir's T20 career
Since his international retirement, Amir has been a constant presence in T20 leagues around the world. Apart from the PSL, he has had stints in the CPL, the BPL, the ILT20, the LPL, the T20 Blast, and the Hundred.
He also won the PSL with the Karachi Kings in 2020.
In all T20 cricket, he has taken 425 wickets in 364 matches. He has a bowling average of 22.64 and an economy just above 7 runs per over. He has also taken two five-wicket hauls, including a performance of 6/17 at the Bangladesh Premier League in 2020.
