PCB, Abu Dhabi T10 Agree Deal on Players’ NOCs
The Pakistan Cricket Board and the organisers of the Abu Dhabi T10 League have reached an agreement over No-Objection Certificates for Pakistani players, clearing the way for them to take part in the tournament. The deal ends a standoff that had left their participation in doubt days before the event.
Under the agreement, the league organisers will provide the PCB with compensation and facilities worth up to $200,000 in exchange for the certificates, sources told Geo News on Thursday. The development has sharply raised the chances of Pakistani players featuring in the coming edition of the Abu Dhabi T10, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 7.
Sources said franchises and players had approached the PCB and asked it to issue the certificates so the selected players could take part. The matter was taken up with the relevant authorities, and the board considered the appeals sympathetically in an effort to reach an amicable solution.
As many as 16 Pakistani players were picked by five of the six teams in the draft. They are Salman Irshad, Akif Javed, Hasan Nawaz, Ali Raza, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Khawaja Nafay, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Sufyan Moqeem and Abbas Afridi.
Abu Dhabi T10 deal ends NOC fee standoff
The agreement reverses the position of only a few days ago. ESPNcricinfo had reported that Pakistan players’ participation had become highly unlikely after the PCB withheld their certificates and demanded a fee of $10,000 for each one. FP reported that standoff earlier on Thursday, when franchises were scrambling for replacements.
The league management had applied for the certificates shortly after the player draft on September 30. But PCB officials told them of the $10,000-per-player demand only at the start of this week, days before the tournament was due to start. Some players were said to be ready to pay the fee from their own salaries if their franchises refused to cover it.
The dispute is not a one-off. Last month, the PCB also withheld certificates for Pakistani players picked for the Nepal Premier League, reportedly demanding $25,000 per player. Hussain Talat and Jahandad Khan still took part in that tournament, but several other Pakistani players returned home without playing.
The board’s policy of seeking fees in exchange for certificates for overseas franchise leagues has shifted over recent years. The issue first arose around the launch of the International League T20, when the board sought payments from leagues where it felt Pakistani players had few reciprocal chances.
The new deal gives the PCB compensation without keeping its players out of the tournament. It also removes the risk that franchises would have to replace 16 players at the last minute, days before the first ball. For the players, it settles a week of uncertainty over whether they would be allowed to travel.
The timing matters for the board as well. Wasim Akram has already declined a role in the Afghanistan Premier League, and the PCB is in the middle of a busy home season, with ticket prices for the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test in Rawalpindi starting at Rs200 and talks under way over a New Zealand tour in February 2027. Settling the T10 dispute quickly keeps the focus on the cricket ahead.
What has the PCB agreed with the Abu Dhabi T10?
The organisers will give the PCB compensation and facilities worth up to $200,000 in exchange for No-Objection Certificates for the Pakistani players picked in the draft.
How many Pakistani players are involved?
Sixteen Pakistani players were picked by five of the six teams in the draft, including Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir and Fakhar Zaman.
Why were the players’ places in doubt?
The PCB had withheld the certificates and demanded a fee of $10,000 for each one, only days before the tournament. ESPNcricinfo reported that participation had become highly unlikely.
When does the Abu Dhabi T10 start?
The tournament is scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
