Zimbabwean fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has been banned from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for two years after leaving the league to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Muzarabani was unsold at both IPL and PSL auctions but later joined Islamabad United as a replacement player. However, he left PSL and signed with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to replace Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman. KKR had initially bought Mustafizur for ₹9.20 crore before releasing him due to political tensions between India and Bangladesh.
The PSL stated that Muzarabani’s actions showed a lack of professionalism, as he broke a prior agreement while pursuing another opportunity. The league emphasized the importance of transparency and consistency in franchise-based sports leagues.
“This two-year ban reflects how serious this breach was,” the PSL said in a statement. Similar incidents have happened before, like South Africa’s Corbin Bosch receiving a one-year PSL ban for choosing IPL over PSL.
Muzarabani has already played two matches for KKR in IPL 2023, taking four wickets, including all four in his latest game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, KKR is struggling in IPL 2023, sitting at the bottom of the table with just one point from four matches. They have lost to Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants, and their match against Punjab Kings was canceled due to rain. Their next game is against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday.