Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza has acknowledged that he hosted visitors in his hotel room during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11, but said neither he nor Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi were aware of recently updated security protocols that prohibit players from hosting relatives or friends.
The incident took place after Lahore Qalandars’ match against Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, when four visitors, described as close relatives or friends of Raza, were escorted to his room at the team hotel despite prior refusals by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) security and anti-corruption unit. A letter from Punjab police to the PCB detailed the alleged security protocol breach.
Raza told a post-match press conference that previous PSL standard operating procedures allowed family and friends to meet players inside the hotel, and he believed he was following those rules. He said he personally knew the visitors and had requested Afridi to bring them because he could not meet them in the hotel’s business centre. Raza took responsibility for the incident, saying, “I am the culprit for that,” and stressed that neither he nor Afridi was aware of the new restrictions.
The Lahore Qalandars franchise said it has initiated an internal review and imposed a Rs1 million fine on Afridi as a voluntary disciplinary measure, while maintaining that the matter stemmed from a misunderstanding rather than intentional violation of protocols. The franchise also submitted a detailed response to the PCB and called for clearer communication of updated rules to avoid similar incidents in the future.
As of Tuesday, the PCB had not announced any official disciplinary action against the players or the franchise. The episode has drawn attention to the strict security measures in place for PSL 11 and raised questions about enforcement and awareness of updated protocols during the tournament.