Pakistan Super League-11: The player auction held before the 11th edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) took a new turn when several Afghanistan cricketers withdrew their names. This was the first time such a formal auction process was conducted in the PSL. Initially, information was revealed that several prominent Afghan players including Mujeeb ur Rehman, Seddiqullah Atal, Mohammad Nabi, Waqar Salamkhel and Fazal Haq Farooqui had registered for the auction held in Lahore.
However, controversy arose after Peshawar Zalmi directly signed Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Criticism started regarding this decision, after which Gurbaz decided to separate himself from PSL. Soon after, other Afghan players also distanced themselves from the auction process.
Chief Executive Officer of PSL gave clarification
PSL Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer clarified that some Afghan players were included in the auction list, but none of the franchises selected them. “There were some Afghan players in the auction, but no team bought them,” he said. However, he also acknowledged that the recent strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had an impact on the entire process.
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According to Naseer, the kind of criticism that came after Gurbaz’s inclusion affected the atmosphere. He said that Gurbaz decided to step down to avoid criticism and other players also chose the same path.
Criticized Pakistan last year
It is noteworthy that last year, air strikes were carried out in some areas of Afghanistan by the Pakistani Army in the name of action against terrorism. After this, tension in diplomatic and political relations increased between the two countries. Many Afghan players had also criticized the Pakistan government through social media at that time. Now the absence of Afghan players in the PSL 11 auction has once again exposed the mutual influence of cricket and politics.
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