PCB Responds to Muzarabani Controversy Over IPL 2026 Switch

A day after Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani’s agent criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for banning him from the Pakistan Super League for two years, the PCB has now given its reply. Muzarabani has been banned for 2 years from the tournament after he opted to snub a contract with Islamabad United and instead decided to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

In response to Blessing’s claims, where he called the PCB “cowards” and said he never received a contract from Islamabad United, the PCB said that there was already a verbal agreement between the player and the team, and that he ignored those commitments.

PCB responds after Blessing Muzarabani chooses IPL over PSL, cites verbal agreement breach

As per news agency PTI, PCB sources claimed that although there was no written contract, a verbal agreement between Muzarabani and Islamabad United had been in place. The sources claimed that despite the PCB offering a firm deal which the player accepted, the latter chose to snub PSL for IPL.

“The sources added that the board’s clarification stated that, despite a firm offer and an unequivocal acceptance of key terms, the player chose to disregard those obligations in favour of a conflicting arrangement,” the report stated.

“We’ve remained quiet publicly over the last 6 weeks because we did not wish to create or cause anymore animosity for the Pakistan Super League/Pakistan Cricket Board than they had already created for themselves. However, due to the voluminous and disgusting nature of criticism directed at Blessing via social media, I will no longer stay silent. Blessing loves the fans. Everywhere he goes, he engages with the public and is generous with his time for the fans. I have seen this gentle giant mature into an exceptional man as well as a world-class cricketer. However, to the so-called “fans” that fill his social media DM’s with vile hatred, you are an utter disgrace to humanity, and you are cowards.”

Blessing was later picked by Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman in Indian Premier League 2026, after the Bangladesh pacer was released earlier this year due to political tensions between India and Bangladesh. He is not the first star to ditch PSL for IPL , as Corbin Bosch had done so last year, while Spencer Johnson (CSK) and Dasun Shanaka (RR) also dropped out of their PSL commitments to play in the IPL.

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by Shekhar April 20, 2026