Zimbabwe speedster Blessing Muzarbani has been banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for two years after he chose to play in Indian Premier League (IPL) over Pakistan Super League (PSL). He had initially gone unsold in both T20 leagues, before Islamabad United signed him as a replacement player. However, he withdrew his name from the league after being approached by the Kolkata Knight Riders to play in the IPL. The three-time champions signed Muzarbani after terminating contract with Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman.
The PCB announced Muzarbani’s ban via a statement and said, “Following a thorough disciplinary review, the PCB has announced that Zimbabwean cricketer Blessing Muzarabani is declared ineligible to participate in the next two (2) editions of the PSL, effective immediately.”
On the other hand, the Pakistan-based league released an official statement citing professionalism as the reason and emphasised that the two-year ban reflects the gravity of the beach. "Professionalism in franchise-based leagues requires participants to act with transparency and consistency. Entering into a conflicting engagement while a prior binding agreement subsists represents a departure from the expected standards of the game,” the statement read.
It added, “Such conduct, if left unaddressed, erodes the reliability of dealings and the confidence that franchises, regulators, and stakeholders place in professional engagements.”
Blessing Muzarbani not the only player to withdraw from PSL
The Zimbabwean isn’t the only player who withdrew from the PSL. Many other players including Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka gave up his contract with Lahore Qalandars to play with Rajasthan Royals. Not only this, but last year, South-Africa’s Corbin Bosch was banned for a year after he chose Mumbai Indians despite being in a contract with Peshawar Zalmi. Moreover, other names such as Jake Fraser-McGurk, Gudakesh Motie, Ottneil Baartman and Spencer Johnson also withdrew from the league due to multiple reasons.
Coming back to Muzarbani, he has already played for the Knight Riders in two games in the current IPL season. In his second clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad, Muzarbani picked up 4/41.
