KKR's Blessing Muzarabani banned for two years for picking IPL over PSL

NEW DELHI: Weeks after he withdrew his name from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani was on Tuesday banned for two years by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

PCB banned Muzarabani from the PSL for two years. "In this instance, despite a clear offer and an unequivocal acceptance of essential terms, the player chose to disregard these obligations in favor of a conflicting arrangement," PCB said in a statement, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The Zimbabwe pacer accepted a deal with Islamabad United for PSL 2026 but later pulled out to sign with KKR for IPL 2026.

The right-arm pacer Muzarabani was among the prominent bowlers in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup, finishing as the joint third-highest wicket-taker with 13 scalps as Zimbabwe made it to the Super Eights stage.

Muzarabani, who won a PSL title before with Multan Sultans, was initially unpicked at the PSL auction on February 11. However, a deal was later reached with Islamabad as a direct signing after they let go of West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph.

Kolkata Knight Riders signed Blessing Muzarabani for the IPL as a replacement for Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

Earlier, KKR had released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so. Mustafizur was bought at the 2026 auction for Rs 9.2 crore by KKR.

In the 2026 IPL season so far, Muzarabani has played two matches for KKR and has four wickets to his name, while conceding 75 runs at an economy of 10.71.