The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Abu Dhabi T10 League organisers have reached an agreement worth up to USD 200,000, potentially clearing the way for Pakistani cricketers to participate in the tournament following a dispute over No-Objection Certificates (NOCs), according to a report by Geo News.
Under the arrangement, tournament organisers will provide the PCB with compensation and facilities valued at up to USD 200,000 in exchange for NOCs. The breakthrough comes ahead of the competition’s scheduled November 7 start, after uncertainty over player approvals had threatened to leave several franchises without their Pakistani signings.
Franchises and players had approached the PCB seeking permission to participate, prompting the board to refer the matter to the relevant authorities. Their appeals were considered as part of efforts to reach an amicable settlement.
How the NOC dispute threatened Pakistani participation
The agreement follows a dispute that had placed the participation of 16 Pakistani players, selected by five of the tournament’s six franchises, in serious doubt.
According to Cricinfo, Abu Dhabi T10 management submitted NOC applications shortly after the September 30 player draft, but the PCB communicated a demand for USD 10,000 per player only in the week leading up to the tournament.
While the dispute remained unresolved, franchises had begun exploring replacement players ahead of the tournament. Some Pakistani cricketers were also prepared to pay the USD 10,000 fee from their own salaries if their franchises declined to cover the additional expense.
The timing of the demand drew criticism from those involved in the competition. An official associated with an Abu Dhabi T10 franchise told PTI on telephone on Thursday: “What surprised us was that while we had applied for NOCs for players for the league back in late September, we only got the demand for the USD 10,000 fee few days back.”
With preparations already approaching their final stages, the official also questioned how the matter had been handled, adding: “It is very unprofessional even if they (PCB) want to charge a NOC fee they should have given enough time for franchises and management to work out some solution. Their demand came very late.”
PCB’s overseas league policy remains under scrutiny
The Abu Dhabi T10 dispute follows similar difficulties involving Pakistani players selected for the Nepal Premier League, where the PCB sought USD 25,000 per player for NOCs.
Hussain Talat and Jahandad Khan were able to participate in that competition, while several other Pakistani cricketers returned without playing.
The PCB has applied NOC fees intermittently over recent years, with the practice emerging around the launch of the International League T20 (ILT20). Its rationale has centred on the limited reciprocal opportunities available to Pakistani cricket through certain overseas competitions, particularly where players from those countries are considered less attractive to Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises.
Separately, the board has revised its overseas participation rules under a new central contract framework. T20 specialists in Track C can participate in unlimited overseas T20 and T10 leagues, subject to national availability, while white-ball specialists in Track BC are permitted two leagues annually.
Players classified as dual-format specialists under Track AB are restricted to one overseas league per year, while red-ball specialists in Track A cannot participate in overseas T20 or T10 competitions.
However, the PCB has yet to announce the new central contracts, leaving individual player classifications unclear following the expiry of the previous agreements on June 30.
Agreement offers relief ahead of tournament
The resolution is particularly significant for the Pakistani players selected across five Abu Dhabi T10 franchises, including Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Azam Khan.
Their overseas franchise opportunities have already been constrained by political tensions between Pakistan and India. Pakistani players remain excluded from the Indian Premier League, while several overseas franchises with IPL-linked ownership have generally avoided recruiting them.
The agreement with Abu Dhabi T10 organisers now offers a route for the selected players to feature in the tournament without the previously unresolved NOC fee dispute standing in their way.
Although the settlement has substantially improved the prospects of Pakistani participation, confirmation that individual NOCs have been issued has not yet been provided.
