CPL 2020: Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi among 6 Afghanistan players to extend stay, to miss start of local league

Six cricketers from Afghanistan who are currently involved in the Caribbean Premier League in Trinidad have been permitted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board to continue to play till the end of the tournament.

These cricketers were earlier scheduled to get back on time for the local Shpageeza T20 League, which is to begin on Sunday (September 6). The final of the CPL is scheduled for September 10.

Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Najibullah Zadran and Zahir Khan are the six players who are currently in Trinidad for the CPL and have been permitted to stay here till September 10.

“We understand the importance of the Shpageeza Cricket League to the ACB and the reasons why it had to be scheduled during the CPL after the NOCs were all issued.

“We truly appreciate the Chairman of the ACB allowing these six Afghan players to stay at the Hero CPL until its conclusion. Afghan players have had a huge impact on our competition, both this season and in previous years, and we are very grateful to have them with us until the final on 10 September,” said CPL’s chief operating officer Pete Russell in a media release.

Rashid Khan to head to IPL directly after CPL 2020

The decision to extend the stay of the six cricketers was taken after discussions between Ricky Skerritt, the Cricket West Indies president and Farhan Yusefzai, the chairman of Afghanistan Cricket Board.

Rashid Khan, who also plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, plays for the Barbados Tridents in the CPL, and the team did not make it to the semi-finals.

Three Afghan players, Mohammad Nabi Najibullah Zadran and Zahir Khan play for St Lucia Zouks, Naveen-ul-Haq will be playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors, while Mujeeb ur Rahman will be there for Jamaica Tallawahs in the semi-finals.