Afghanistan unlikely to give NOCs for Mujeeb, Naveen and Farooqi

Kabul: Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is unlikely to offer No Objection Certificates to Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi for the next two years, putting their participation in the Indian Premier League 2024 season in doubt.

According to an ACB release, the board has decided to delay the annual contracts for year 2024 for these players having formed a “dedicated committee to thoroughly investigate the matter”, after they expressed a desire to be released from their central contracts from Jan 1. “The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritizing their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility,” the ACB said. “By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players,” the board added.

Afghanistan are also set to play a T20I series against India with the first game to be played on Jan 11 in Mohali, 2nd on Jan 14 in Indore and 3rd on Jan 17 in Bengaluru. “In response, the ACB assigned a dedicated committee to thoroughly investigate the matter, develop appropriate recommendations that best serve the ACB’s interests and share them with the ACB’s top management,” the ACB said.