Pakistan Cricket Board charges $25,000 per player for MLC No‑Objection Certificates

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), chaired by interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, is alleged to have demanded a fee of $25,000 for each Pakistani player’s No‑Objection Certificate (NOC) required to participate in the 2026 edition of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States. Franchise owners described the demand as “extortion,” noting that the PCB had not disclosed any such policy in advance and that the fee was imposed shortly before the tournament began. Some owners are considering a shadow ban on signing Pakistani cricketers unless the practice changes. The PCB defended the charge as a source of income, stating that a publicly published standard policy would make the practice acceptable.

The controversy has raised concerns about transparency and fairness in international cricket player transfers, with the PCB’s approach differing from other boards that typically pay a percentage of auction contracts to home boards without imposing separate fees.