The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is set to suffer a significant setback as Pakistan’s national cricketers will not receive No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for overseas franchise leagues till15 January.

With multiple leagues, including the BPL, scheduled across December and January, teams relying on Pakistan players now face major uncertainty.

Pakistan are gearing up for their preparations for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup with a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in early January. The side is expected to travel to Dambulla, where the matches will be held on 7, 9 and 11 January. The series forms a crucial part of Pakistan’s build-up to the global event, jointly hosted next year by Sri Lanka and India from 7 February to 8 March.

Speaking to Daily Sun on Wednesday, sources confirmed that Pakistan’s national players have been instructed to prioritise international commitments over franchise leagues during this period. While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issues conditional NOCs for overseas tournaments, players must remain available for national duty whenever required.

Sources further indicated that if selected for the Sri Lanka series, Pakistan players will not be permitted to participate in the BPL or any other franchise tournaments during the same window.

Meanwhile, several Pakistan cricketers have already been drafted into BPL squads, including Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Hussain Talat, Ihsanullah Khan, Haider Ali, Khawaja Nafay, Sufiyan Muqeem, Md Akhlaq, Saim Ayub and Mohammad Amir — their participation now uncertain.

Moreover, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Hasan Nawaz have received NOCs for the ILT20, valid only until 4 January.  For the Big Bash League (BBL), NOCs have been sanctioned from 14 December to 28 January, allowing stars such as Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali to feature, depending on national team selection.