The PCB denies NPL participation for two Pakistani overseas signings, and both are leaving Nepal. Janakpur Bolts chief executive Niroj Khatiwada said all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed and pace bowler Hunain Shah are returning home after the Pakistan Cricket Board told its players not to appear in the Nepal Premier League. The Kathmandu-based franchise has already secured replacements and expects the new names to be announced by Wednesday night.
What Janakpur says happened
Khatiwada said the club learned through player agents that about $25,000 would have to be paid to the board before the pair could take the field. He stressed that Janakpur Bolts has had no direct contact or formal negotiation with the PCB on the matter. The franchise’s contracts, he added, are with the players themselves; any board payment would sit on top of salaries already agreed.
He described the late demand as a heavy burden after the club had signed the men, locked in deals, and flown them to Nepal. Paying an extra $25,000 at the last moment, he said, is a large sum for a franchise already carrying those costs. Where a player is indispensable, a side might still stretch its budget; Janakpur judged that competitive alternatives were available, so it chose new signings over the extra outlay.
Replacements and who pays
Khatiwada confirmed that replacements for Iftikhar Ahmed and Hunain Shah have been signed. The new players’ identities had not been released when he spoke, though he said they were likely to arrive the same night and that names would be made public by Wednesday night.
He left open a narrow path if the players themselves covered the additional amount. Without agreement on whether the franchise or the cricketers would bear that cost, Janakpur’s plan was to send the Pakistanis back and field the new recruits. That is the course the club is now taking.
Wider pressure on NPL squads
The PCB denies NPL participation in this case has left overseas spots unsettled for at least one franchise at a late stage of squad planning. Janakpur has responded by refreshing its roster rather than absorbing an unexpected board-related fee. There has been no public word in the available accounts from the PCB itself on the $25,000 figure, which rests on what agents told the franchise.
For Pakistani cricket followers, the immediate picture is clear: two known names will not feature for Janakpur Bolts in this Nepal Premier League campaign, and the club is moving on with other players while the clearance dispute remains unresolved between the parties named above.
Aasan alfaaz mein
PCB ne Pakistani players ko Nepal Premier League khelne nahi diya. Iftikhar Ahmed aur Hunain Shah wapas ghar ja rahe hain. Janakpur Bolts ne un ki jagah naye players sign kar liye hain. Franchise ke mutabiq agents ne kaha tha ke board ko $25,000 dene honge, lekin club ne yeh extra paisa dena munasib nahi samjha.
