Nobody has a ready answer, because no replacement mechanism has been published for the Pakistani players still waiting on clearance. Neither the Pakistan Cricket Board nor the Cricket Association of Nepal had issued a statement by 26 October. Karnali Yaks sit closest to the problem, since their top-order signing Farhan has also been called up by Pakistan. Franchises must now plan around absences they cannot yet size. Several teams could lose a specialist before the next round of fixtures.
Franchises Left Waiting on Pakistan
As of 26 October, the Pakistan Cricket Board had not responded to questions about the clearance, and the Nepali board stayed equally quiet. Reports put the number of players being held at seven in some counts and five in others, so even the scale of the damage is unclear. Three clubs carry two Pakistani names each, and a fourth holds Haider Ali, whose role has not been reported. None of the four franchises can say when clarity will arrive, which leaves their squad plans suspended.
The signings cover every department. Farhan is a top-order batter and Talat an all-rounder at the Yaks, while Iftikhar, also an all-rounder, and the fast bowler Hunain Shah sit with Janakpur Bolts. Chitwan Rhinos hold the leg-spinner Usama Mir and the fast bowler Hasan Ali. Losing any of them would cost a team a specialist, not a squad filler, and that mix means no single replacement profile fits every club.
Nepal Premier League 2026 NOC hold
The Yaks director, Grihendra Ghimire, accused the Pakistani board of a last-minute demand for US$25,000 on behalf of players who had already travelled to Nepal. He described the franchise as disappointed. No outlet has seen the fee confirmed in writing, so the figure remains an allegation rather than a documented charge. The accusation matters because it frames the delay as a payment dispute rather than a procedural one, which changes who has to move first.
The wider problem is structural. A no-objection certificate from the home board is mandatory for every overseas signing, retired players included, so a single refusal can unravel a squad plan overnight. Until the Pakistani board speaks, franchises are negotiating in silence and cannot plan beyond their next match. Each further day of delay narrows the window for any clean substitution.
Overseas Limits Narrow the Options
Squad rules allow between six and eight overseas players, with eight the maximum, though one report suggests a cap of six. On match day, a side fields four overseas players alongside seven Nepali ones. A vacated overseas slot has no obvious domestic substitute, and no published rule explains how a replacement would be approved. That gap leaves each franchise guessing how strictly the rules will be applied.
The squad range gives some breathing room. A club carrying eight overseas players can lose two and still field four in its eleven, while a club on six has almost no margin. Franchises therefore face a simple trade-off between depth and cost, one that few planned for when the auction lists were drawn up. The disagreement over the cap only deepens the uncertainty for every club involved in the tournament.
Yaks Prepare for Life Without Farhan
Pakistan have called up Farhan, who may rejoin the Yaks after their match on 31 October, and the franchise is already preparing a replacement. The identity of that player is unannounced, which fits a pattern of clubs keeping their options quiet. Farhan’s absence would hurt the top order most, since he is the only specialist batter among the Pakistani signings at the Yaks. The plan at least shows one club acting before the league offers any guidance, and Karnali therefore holds the clearest short-term plan of any club in the group.
History offers little comfort. When the Pakistani board refused Haris an NOC for the 2024 Bangladesh Premier League, Chattogram Challengers announced no replacement, and no record exists of a replacement draft after a similar failure. If the Nepal Premier League 2026 NOC hold drags on, franchises will fill gaps from their own reserves, a quiet admission that the league has no safety net. Players held in limbo cannot train with confidence, and neither can the coaches who must pick them.