National duty set to keep Pakistan players from full BPL stint

High-profile Pakistani cricketers are unlikely to make themselves available for the full season of the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) due to national commitments.

Several franchise officials confirmed the development, stating they will now have to look for alternatives.

An official working closely with the franchises said, "We are aware that they (Pakistani cricketers) are not available for the whole season as they have a series against Sri Lanka in the middle of January, while they are slated to take on Australia at the end of January."

The BPL, scheduled from December 26 to January 23, overlaps with Pakistan's bilateral assignments in the final phase of their T20 World Cup preparation.

Pakistan are set to play a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka on January 7, 9, and 11 in Dambulla. They are also scheduled to travel to Australia for a three-match T20I series in the final week of January.

Several leading Pakistani cricketers had signed with different BPL franchises, including opener Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Imad Wasim, and Khushdil Shah.

A PCB official stated, "It is not a fact that we are not giving an NOC this year. The players who have applied for the NOC, we are currently processing it. However, we must also remember that whenever there is national duty, that is our priority. So if someone is on national duty, in that case he will not be having the NOC."

There is a possibility of some players featuring in the BPL for a few matches during the gap before the Sri Lanka series or between the Sri Lanka and Australia series. Others believe players outside the immediate selection pool for the upcoming T20 World Cup may still have opportunities to participate in the tournament.