MLC vs PCB: Owners furious over Naqvi's $25,000 NOC demand

The Major League Cricket (MLC) teams have reportedly considered taking strict action against Pakistan regarding the signing of players after a fresh dispute involving the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its chairman, Mohsin Naqvi. The move isn’t motivated by politics but has come from the growing frustration among the team owners.

The MLC team owners over the PCB alleged the practice of demanding payments before issuing the no-objection certificates (NOCs) to its players. The problem has left the MLC sides questioning whether it would be viable to sign Pakistan cricketers in the future editions of the competition.

PCB Charging $25,000 Per NOC — MLC Owners Furious After Naqvi Calls It "Their Right"

The PakPassion reports have claimed that the growing concern among the MLC owners is the board’s handling of NOCs, with some of the franchise officials reportedly describing the board’s approach as unfair.

The report cites that the MLC team owner claimed that the Pakistan board asks the franchises to pay 25000 dollars, which is nearly INR 24 lakh) for issuing a NOC to each Pakistan player. A NOC is an ICC-mandated document that allows a player to participate in the overseas franchise leagues.

Without the NOC, the players are not eligible to take part in tournaments like the MLC. Haris Rauf, notably, is the only Pakistani player in the competition as he has been representing the San Francisco Unicorns, who agreed to pay the required fee.

MLC franchises reportedly set to stop signing Pakistani players over NOC fee row

The report has claimed that the practice has been described as extortion by some of the team owners given the fee wasn’t publicly communicated during the negotiations, as the team is informed of the payment requirement only after the completion of the player’s recruitment.

“It's more the extortion the PCB does. Basically, through the year, they won't say anything. And then right towards the start of the tournament, when they have to give their NOCs, they send an email saying that for the NOC, it will be $25,000 for each player.” The report added.

Adding to the concerns, it has been alleged that even after the payment, the franchises are not guaranteed uninterrupted player availability, as the PCB can revoke an NOC at any time.

MLC 2026 final set for July 18 at Oakland — Story breaks days before season finale

In the first Qualifier of the MLC 2026, San Francisco Unicorns and Los Angeles Knight Riders will meet each other on July 16, while in the Eliminator, the Washington Freedom locked horns with the MI New York. Both games will be played at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland.

The winner of the Eliminator and the loser of the first qualifier will meet each other on July 17 at the same venue, which will host the final of the competition between the winner of the first and second qualifiers of the event.