BBL: Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Rahman left out of Melbourne Renegades squad after change in NOC conditions

Ace Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is left out of Melbourne Renegades’ squad ahead of their BBL derby clash against Melbourne Stars after a change to his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) conditions.

Earlier, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had sanctioned three players, mainly Mujeeb, alongside seamers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi after the trio expressed their desire to be excluded from the central contract list for 2024. The punishment included no NOCs for them to play in any franchise-based T20 League worldwide for the next two years and revoking any NOC they currently possess.

Mujeeb's BBL franchise, Melbourne Renegades, had previously stated that they "received no communication that Mujeeb's availability for the BBL could change from original plans" and "the club will continue to support him for the rest of the BBL season".

However, after the change in their NOC conditions, Renegades’ new statement said Mujeeb was removed from the squad following a change in NOC conditions.

"Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been removed from the squad after a change to his NOC conditions made him unavailable for the match,” Renegades’ fresh statement read.

Meanwhile, both the seamers have since approached the ACB, and per the board’s latest statement, Naveen and Farooqi have shown a strong desire to represent their country at the top level.

Afterwards, the pair got included in the 18-man squad for the ongoing T20I series against the UAE. Mujeeb, however, was left out.

Mujeeb in BBL

The mystery spinner played a starring role in his side’s only win this season against Adelaide Strikers, picking three for 20.

Mujeeb last played for Afghanistan during the 2023 World Cup, where his team won three matches against defending champion England, rivals Pakistan and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is currently involved in a three-match T20I series against the UAE. While they won the first game, Afghanistan lost their next tie, with the decider to be played on Tuesday.

After this, Afghanistan will fly to India for the three-match T20Is, starting January 11.