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Saim, Farhan among Pakistan players unlikely for full BPL season due to national duty

Rajgeeta Yadav

Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan [Source: AFP]Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan [Source: AFP]

Several well-known Pakistan cricketers may not be able to play the full season of the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The issue is timing; the BPL will take place from December 26 to January 23, which clashes directly with Pakistan’s important international matches and their final preparation for the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan are set to play three T20Is against Sri Lanka on January 7, 9, and 11 in Dambulla. Soon after, they will host Australia for another three-match T20I series in the last week of January. Once these series are over, the team will head back to Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup, scheduled from February 7 to March 8, and jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India.

Pakistan players unlikely to play the full BPL 2025-26 season

Due to busy schedule, many top Pakistan players who signed BPL contracts, including Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Imad Wasim and Khushdil Shah, may not be available for most of the tournament. 

BPL franchise officials told Cricbuzz they have already been informed that Pakistani players will miss parts of the league, and teams have started looking for replacements.

"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," said an official working closely with the franchises.

On top of that, Pakistan’s main T20I stars, such as Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, are unlikely to be released at all, as the cricket board does not want them missing any national matches before the World Cup.

Some players are especially affected. Sylhet Titans opener Saim Ayub, now an important member of Pakistan’s T20I side and recently ranked the world’s No. 1 T20 all-rounder, is likely to miss most of the tournament. Meanwhile, Rajshahi Warriors’ all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, another key Pakistan player, is also expected to be unavailable.

A PCB official said they are still processing NOCs (No Objection Certificates) but stressed that national duty always comes first. However, players who are not part of Pakistan’s main World Cup plans might still get to play a few BPL games, either before the Sri Lanka series or in short gaps between tours.