The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to lose a big part of its star power due to the conflict with Afghanistan. Ahead of PSL 2026, Afghanistan’s famous cricketers have withdrawn from the first-ever player auction held ahead of the 11th edition of PSL.

In the days leading up to PSL 2026 and the player auction, there were speculations that the Afghans might miss the tournament, mainly due to rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries. But there’s another reason why players decided to avoid the auction.

Why are Afghanistan players avoiding PSL 2026?

According to media reports, players including Mujeeb ur Rehman, Seddiqullah Atal, Muhammad Nabi, Waqar Salamkheil and Fazal Haq Farooqi have signed up for the auction to be held in Lahore on Wednesday. Both later withdrew their names from the event.

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Apart from the political conflict, the signing of Rahmanullah Gulbaaz is also cited as a major cause of dissatisfaction among Afghan cricketers.

Gubaz has previously played in three PSL seasons. He played for Multan Sultans in 2021 and then for Islamabad United in 2022 and 2023. In 15 games, the top-order batsman scored 318 runs at a strike rate of 159.79, including a half-century.

Zalmi signs Gubaz early

Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gubaz has been signed by PSL side Peshawar Zalmi. The team signed the batsman directly, while other Afghan players on the auction list did not get any response from the team. Later, as tensions grew, Gubaz quit the team.

According to The Times of India, “Players including Mujeeb ur Rehman, Seddiqullah Atal, Muhammad Nabi, Waqar Salamkheil and Fazal Haq Farooqi have signed up for the auction to be held in Lahore on Wednesday,” news agency PTI reported. However, the players later withdrew their names as Peshawar Zalmi signed Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gulbaaz outright. “

The CEO of Pakistan Super League issued an official confirmation on the matter

Confirming the update, PSL chief executive Salman Naseer said the political conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan may also force the cricketers to withdraw their names. He said there were few Afghan cricketers in the auction pool but they are currently out of the game.

“There was a serious backlash after Zalmi signed Gubaz and after Gubaz quit the PSL due to the breakdown in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Therefore, other players also thought it was best to avoid the backlash,” Salman Nasir explained.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since late last year due to air strikes by the Pakistan Air Force. A number of Afghanistan’s star cricket players, including Rashid Khan, issued strong protests against the incident. According to reports, the air strikes claimed the lives of many ordinary people, including local Afghan cricketers. After the incident, relations between the two countries began to deteriorate rapidly.

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