New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani’s agency has pushed back against the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after the fast bowler was handed a two-year ban from the league, insisting that he had not signed any formal contract before choosing to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Muzarabani was initially named as a replacement signing in the PSL on a deal reportedly worth PKR 11 million (around Rs 37.4 lakh). However, he later pulled out and signed with KKR as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman, a move that led to disciplinary action from the league.

In a statement shared on X, Muzarabani’s agency, ‘World Sports Xchange’ clarified that no formal contract was ever signed between Muzarabani and any PSL franchise. While he had been approached by Islamabad United (IU) for the 2026 season, the agreement was only provisional and subject to obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Zimbabwe Cricket—something that requires a valid, signed contract in the first place.

“Blessing was approached about a playing opportunity for the 2026 PSL, with a deal agreed subject to obtaining a No Objection Certificate from Zimbabwe Cricket. An NOC cannot be obtained without a contract from the PSL. Despite a public announcement, no contract was ever provided. You simply cannot breach a contract you have never received,” the agency said.

According to the agency, when Muzarabani was approached by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 27 Feb as a replacement signing for IPL 2026, there was no binding agreement tying him to the PSL, and the Zimbabwe pacer accepted the opportunity without violating any professional commitments.

The PCB, led by Mohsin Naqvi, had earlier imposed a two-year ban, citing a failure to honor commitments and a breach of the league’s code of conduct. However, the player’s camp has described the punishment as incredibly excessive and demanded that the PSL authority lift the ban.

“We feel any ban on participation in the PSL is incredibly excessive and is not consistent with the punishment given to players that have actually breached a contract in the past. We urge the PSL to gracefully withdraw the ban and accept this situation for what it is, an administrative error at their end, nothing more. We bear no grudges toward the PSL or Islamabad United,” it concluded.

Muzarabani has played only two matches for KKR in IPL 2026. He went wicketless in the first match, but camebreach back strongly against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and took four wickets.

–IANS

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