Mohammad Rizwan To Play In Canada After Being Dropped By Pakistan

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is all set to participate in the newly introduced NCL20 Canada league, bringing more global attention to the country’s growing franchise cricket.

Although the complete squad lists and official teams are yet to be finalised, several reports have already confirmed Rizwan’s presence in the competition, along with one of the best wicketkeepers in the world, Quinton de Kock, Shakib Al Hasan, Rassie van der Dussen and Jimmy Neesham.

NCL20 Canada is being promoted as a brand-new professional T20 tournament and is widely viewed as a successor to the former GT20 Canada setup in some form. According to early reports, the matches are likely to be staged in Brampton, Ontario.

Will Mohammad Rizwan Feature in NCL20 Canada?

Multiple reports are suggesting Mohammad Rizwan NCL20 Canada participation, and it will not be the first time for Rizwan playing franchise cricket in Canada, having previously been associated with the Vancouver Knights in the GT20 Canada competition. During the 2024 season, he was named captain of the side, which also featured some of the best Pakistani cricketers such as Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir.

However, there is uncertainty surrounding the participation of several Pakistani players as the Pakistan Cricket Board might show concerns in issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) because of workload and scheduling concerns involving centrally contracted cricketers. The competition is expected to follow the traditional franchise T20 model, including city-based teams, a league-stage format, and knockout matches leading into the playoffs.

Although official confirmation is still awaited, but Pakistani fans seem excited to find out about Mohammad Rizwan in Canada based franchise league, as his recent T20 performance hasn't been consistent, and he might see this opportunity as a chance to stay in the Pakistan T20I setup.