PCB Accused of Allegedly Extorting MLC Teams With $25,000 NOC Fees for Pakistani Players

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been accused of allegedly extorting Major League Cricket (MLC) franchises by demanding last-minute $25,000 No Objection Certificate (NOC) fees for Pakistani players, according to claims made by a source close to an MLC franchise owner.

The allegations were reported by cricket website PakPassion, which quoted the source as saying that the surprise charges have prompted several MLC franchises to reconsider signing Pakistani cricketers in future seasons.

According to the report, franchises are not informed about the fee during player recruitment. Instead, the PCB allegedly demands the payment around a week before the tournament begins, when teams have already finalized and announced their squads.

The source claimed that the timing leaves franchises with little room to replace players, forcing them to pay the additional fee despite not budgeting for it.

“It’s more the extortion the PCB does,” the source was quoted as saying, alleging that the board waits until the last moment before requesting $25,000 per player for issuing NOCs.

The report also cited an incident in which an MLC franchise was allegedly asked to pay another $25,000 just hours before a match after the PCB realized it had not charged for one of the team’s Pakistani players. According to the source, the franchise was told the player’s NOC would be processed if the payment reached the PCB’s bank account before the first ball of the match.

The source further alleged that franchise owners raised the matter with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, arguing that the practice was unfair because there was no publicly announced policy outlining such fees. According to the report, the PCB maintained that the charges were a legitimate source of revenue.

Another concern highlighted by the source was that paying the fee reportedly does not guarantee player availability. The report claimed that the PCB retains the authority to revoke an NOC during a tournament, potentially requiring franchises to obtain another NOC and pay an additional fee.

According to PakPassion, the uncertainty surrounding the alleged charges has led several MLC franchises to avoid signing PCB-contracted players altogether, with owners reportedly unwilling to risk unexpected costs that disrupt their budgets.

Only Haris Rauf, who represents the San Francisco Unicorns, is featuring as a Pakistani player in this year’s MLC season.

The PCB has not publicly responded to the allegations published by PakPassion, and the claims remain unverified.

Source: PakPassion