There comes bad news for all the Cric-fans as ACB has slapped sanctions on three of their players after they intentionally refused to sign central contracts. The three players who have received sanctions are Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi. ACB in its statement made it clear that these three players have been prioritising T20 leagues over national duties & need to make national duty a priority. With sanctions levied on these three cricketers, they could miss the IPL 2024.
“The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritizing their interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility. By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players,” read a press release from the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Thus ACB has decided not to hand National contracts to Mujeeb, Fazalhaq, and Naveen for the next few months & they will also not receive any NOC for featuring in T20 leagues across the World. NOCs’ are No Objection Certificates that every player is required from their cricket boards to play in the overseas T20 league. And without an NOC no player can feature in any franchise-based league of any country. This means Naveen, Mujeeb, and Farooqui could miss the IPL 2024 which can affect the franchisees of which they are a part.
To investigate the matter, ACB has also appointed a top investigating committee. The committee will also make to investigate the matter. The committee will further make recommendations to ACB’s top management about the matter.
What Recommendations did the Committee give to ACB
Not Awarding Central Contracts: From January 2024, the three players will not be eligible for central contracts for one year. During this time the ACB will consider their participation in bilateral series & will also decide about their participation in T20 leagues in the future.
Avoiding NOCs for participation in global events: These players are not eligible to receive NOC for two years. Considering this all the NOCs granted to them will be revoked immediately.
The committee has also suggested the board communicate their stance freely to the Global Governing Body of Cricket i.e. ICC & other bodies such as ACC, Member Countries/Cricket Boards, and the Afghanistan Public.
Naveen, Mujeeb to miss IPL 2024?
This latest development brings Naveen & Mujeeb’s participation in IPL 2024 under jeopardy. For the unversed Mujeeb is a part of the KKR team while Naveen plays for LSG. If ACB denied them NOCs for IPL then these two cricketers will probably miss the IPL 2024. Naveen & Mujeeb are crucial parts of their respective franchisees. And if they can’t participate in the league then it will be a big concern for these franchisees as they will have to announce their replacements. The franchisees are yet to take up the matter with ACB. It will be interesting to see what decision ACB will take about Naveen & Mujeeb’s participation in the IPL 2024 with just three months away.
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