Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has stated that disciplinary action will be taken against players who withdraw from the Pakistan Super League at the final stage in order to participate in the Indian Premier League.
Naqvi referred to an incident from the previous season involving Corbin Bosch, who had been selected as a diamond pick by Peshawar Zalmi before opting to join Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Ahead of the upcoming PSL edition, several players — including Gudakesh Motie, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ottneil Baartman, Spencer Johnson and Dasun Shanaka — have reportedly withdrawn from the tournament, most of them citing personal reasons. Some of them are understood to be in discussions with IPL franchises for the new season.
The PCB chairman emphasised that players who pull out after being picked in the auction could face consequences under the board’s regulations.
“We will take action against those players according to the rules,” Naqvi said on Sunday. “There was a case last year too [Corbin Bosch, who was banned from the PSL for one year], and the same thing will happen this time.”
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Bosch had been named as a diamond-category selection for Peshawar Zalmi but later made a late switch to represent Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
This year marks the second consecutive season in which the PSL schedule overlaps with the IPL. Naqvi indicated that the clash itself was not a concern, citing the tight international calendar as a limiting factor.
“Clashing with the IPL is not an issue because if players are going there, we’re getting excellent players coming here as well. We could not afford to postpone the PSL because we have no other window all year,” Naqvi added.
The PSL is set to begin on March 26, with the entire tournament scheduled to be held behind closed doors. All fixtures will take place in Lahore and Karachi.
