Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has taken a firm stance against last-minute withdrawals from the PSL, warning that players who have pulled out of PSL to join IPL could face legal consequences. The clash of schedules has made player availability quite unpredictable, putting franchises in difficult positions just as tournaments get underway. The latest player to opt out of PSL is Dasun Shanaka.
He was signed by Lahore Qalandars; however, he opted out of the PSL squad to join Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. He was brought in as a replacement for the injured Sam Curran.
Shanaka’s departure forced Lahore Qalandars to sign Daniel Sams as a replacement. This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani also withdrew from the PSL after securing a contract with Kolkata Knight Riders.
"We will take action against those players according to the rules. There was a case last year too [Corbin Bosch, who was banned from the PSL for one year], and the same thing will happen this time," Naqvi said while addressing media on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the PSL is set to start on March 26, while IPL will begin on March 28. Mohsin Naqvi also talked about PSL's clash with IPL, saying they had no other window to conduct the tournament.
"Clashing with the IPL is not an issue because if players are going there, we're getting excellent players coming here as well. We could not afford to postpone the PSL because we have no other window all year," he said.