The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is all set to lose a huge portion of star power because of their conflict with Afghanistan. Ahead of the PSL 2026, the renowned cricketers of Afghanistan pulled themselves out from the first Players’ Auction held ahead of the 11th edition.
Days before the PSL 2026 and the players’ auction, it was speculated that the Afghans could stay away from the tournament mostly due to the rising diplomatic tensions between these two nations. But there is another reason for which the players decided to avoid the auction.
Why does the Afghanistan players avoiding the PSL 2026?
According to media reports, players including Mujeeb ur Rehman, Seddiqullah Atal, Muhammad Nabi, Waqar Salamkheil, and Fazal Haq Farooqi had registered for the auction conducted in Lahore on Wednesday. Later, all of them withdrew their names from the event.
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Along with the political conflicts, the signing of Rahmanullah Gurbaz is also considered as a major reason behind the displeasure of the Afghan cricketers.
Gurbaz has previously participated in three PSL seasons. He played for the Multan Sultans in 2021 and then for the Islamabad United in 2022 and 2023. Across 15 matches, the top-order batter scored 318 runs at a strike rate of 159.79, including one half-century.
Zalmi signed Gurbaz early
Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was signed by the PSL franchise Peshawar Zalmi. The franchise secured the batter’s signing in a straightforward manner, while the other players from Afghanistan, who were on the auction list, did not receive any response from the franchises. Later, with the rising tension, Gurbaz also pulled himself out of the franchise.
According to a Times of India report, “Players including Mujeeb ur Rehman, Seddiqullah Atal, Muhammad Nabi, Waqar Salamkheil, and Fazal Haq Farooqi had registered for the auction conducted in Lahore on Wednesday,” news agency PTI reported. However, the players later withdrew their names following backlash over the direct signing of Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz by Peshawar Zalmi.”
The Pakistan Super League ceo issued an official confirmation over the matter
Confirming the updates, PSL CEO Salman Naseer stated that the political conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan also might have forced the cricketers to withdraw their names. He said that there were few Afghan cricketers in the auction pool, but currently they are out of the contest.
“There was a severe backlash after Zalmi signed Gurbaz because of the fractured relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and after Gurbaz pulled himself out of the PSL. So, the other players also decided it was better to avoid backlash,” Salman Naseer explained the situation.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since late last year because of an airstrike conducted by the Pakistan Air Force. Several star cricketers of Afghanistan, including Rashid Khan, protested the incident in strong words. It was reported the airstrike took the lives of multiple common people, including local cricketers of Afghanistan. After the incident, the relation between the two countries started to decrease rapidly.
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