Mujeeb left out of Melbourne Derby after a change in NOC conditions

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been left out of Melbourne Renegades' next BBL game against Melbourne Stars on Tuesday after a "change to his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) conditions".

Mujeeb, along with fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, had been sanctioned by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) after expressing a desire to be left out of the central contracts list for 2024. The sanctions included no NOCs for the trio to play T20 leagues for the next two years and a revoking of any NOC they currently possess.

Renegades had previously said in a statement that they had "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". Today, a fresh statement was issued, saying: "Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been removed from the squad after a change to his NOC conditions made him unavailable for the match."

Naveen and Farooqi have since approached the ACB and, as per the board, "demonstrated a strong desire to represent their country again". The pair were subsequently named in Afghanistan's 18-member squad for the ongoing T20I series against UAE, but there was no place for Mujeeb.

Mujeeb played a starring role in Renegades' first and only win of this BBL season, picking up 3 for 20 against Adelaide Strikers on December 29. He last turned out for Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup.

Afghanistan are currently involved in a three-match T20I series in the UAE. They won the first T20I convincingly but lost the second by 11 runs. The third and final match of the series will be played on Tuesday.