No England player will feature in the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2025) after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reportedly banned its players from playing In Pakistan. This will in turn benefit the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025), as the ECB confirmed that England players will play the next 3 IPL seasons in full.
In recent years, some players have chosen T20 leagues over the national team because of the higher earning possibilities, and England cricket may find itself in a similar predicament soon.
However, the ECB feels that prohibiting players from competing in abroad leagues will protect the quality of the domestic game, according to The Telegraph.
ECB bans England players from PSL and foreign leagues to focus on domestic cricket
Previously, sources suggested that the ECB intended to issue No Objection Certificates for leagues that clashed with the English summer to only players with white-ball-only contracts. However, the board will no longer grant the players NOCs to compete in any competitions that overlap with the T20 Blast and the Hundred.
“The ECB will also stop allowing players to appear in any competitions that overlap with the Vitality Blast and the Hundred. The board confirmed that players will be barred from leagues suspected of corruption and prevented from “double-dipping”—switching to a new tournament once eliminated from another competition taking place at the same time,” the Telegraph report read.
The ECB board accepted the decision to ban the players from participating in overseas T20 tournaments during a meeting on Wednesday. The new policy is bound to put the players in a difficult situation. They will have to choose between increasing earnings and being available across all formats.
Saqib Mahmood has accepted a white-ball deal with Lancashire to remain available for the PSL next season.
“This policy gives clarity to players and professional counties around our approach to issuing No Objection Certificates. It will enable us to strike the right balance between supporting players who want to take up opportunities to earn and gain experience, while also protecting the integrity of cricket globally,” Richard Gould, ECB chief executive told the Telegraph.
It has also been stated that 74 England-qualified players competed in franchise competitions internationally last year. However, the ECB is currently looking to rectify that by encouraging domestic cricket participation in its events.
It is also worth noting that there is one exception to the norm. English players can still compete in the Indian Premier League, which runs from April to May each year.
Next year, PSL 2025 will directly clash with IPL 2025, as Pakistan will host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Feb-March, the usual window for PSL. Therefore, the PSL has been moved to mid-March, in direct competition to the IPL 2025 that begins on March 14.
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