PSL 2026: Uncertainty looms over Bangladesh players’ participation

Bangladesh players are likely not to feature in the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) if security concerns remain. For now, the players are waiting for clear guidance from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) before making a final decision.

Will Bangladesh players feature in PSL?

Speaking on Sunday, Bangladesh’s state minister for youth and sports, Aminul Haque, said that player safety will be the top priority and the government will act only after getting official feedback from the BCB.

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"Definitely our cricketers are not going if there is a security concern (in PSL)," Aminu said. "First BCB has to inform us about it (security concern) and afterwards we will take an official decision based upon our observation (following scrutiny from national agencies)," he said.

Why threat loom over Bangladesh players' participation in PSL 2026?

At the same time, he made it clear that the government is open to allowing players to participate if everything is deemed safe.

"If the BCB ensures us that there is no problem if our cricketers go there, in that case we don't have any problem. They (BCB) have to ensure what the players want because we don't want to discourage sports and we want everyone to play from their respective places," he added. "The BCB should consult us about security purposes and everything, and if they can ensure that (everything is fine), in that case we can proceed."

This comes after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a revised schedule for PSL 2026. The matches are now set to be held only in Karachi and Lahore, and will be played behind closed doors as part of government restrictions. The tournament has already seen several players withdraw, along with travel warnings due to ongoing regional tensions.

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Bangladesh players who are picked by PSL franchises

At present, six Bangladesh players, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Rishad Hossain, have already received No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the BCB to play in the league. However, whether they will actually travel now depends on the final approval from the government.