A Zimbabwe player, Blessing Muzarabani, has been banned from the Pakistan Super League by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the next two seasons.
The player broke his contract and left for the Indian Premier League.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier announced that legal action would be taken against Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani.
The reason for taking action is for violating his contract with Islamabad United in the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL 11).
Muzarabani has a successful career and has played 89 T20 internationals for Zimbabwe. He was signed for Rs11 million as a replacement for the West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph.
Despite committing to Islamabad United, the 29 year old quit his PSL commitment and chose to join the Indian Premier League (IPL). In IPL he will be joining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The reason why KKR brought him in was that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made KKR release Mustafizur Rehman. Blessing will be brought as his replacement.
This scenario is similar to another incident last season. In the last season Corbin Bosch, the South African all-rounder quit after being drafted by Peshawar Zalmi.
He went and joined the Mumbai Indians as an injury replacement, which got him a one-year ban from the Pakistan Super League.
Muzarabani’s exit follows a wonderful T20 World Cup in which he managed to pick 13 wickets in six games with a highlight four wickets in Zimbabwe’s powerhouse group stage win over Australia.
The legal proceedings are indicative of the PCB’s attempts to enforce some contractual obligations and uphold the integrity of the PSL.
The case also poses wider issues on the commitment of players and the effect of overlapping schedules on the domestic cricket, especially as the temptation of the IPL keeps taking international players away from other tournaments.
Also read: Blessing Muzarabani: The tall pacer who is putting Zimbabwe back on the cricket map
