Janakpur Bolts have confirmed that Pakistani players Iftikhar Ahmed and Hunain Shah are returning home without playing in the Nepal Premier League after the Pakistan Cricket Board failed to clear their participation.

Janakpur Bolts CEO Niroj Khatiwada told Ratopati that the PCB had instructed the players not to take part in the tournament. He said agents had informed the franchise that a fee of $25,000 would be required for each player to receive clearance, although the club had received no direct communication from the PCB on the matter.⁠

We have emailed the PCB. If there is no clear reply by Wednesday, the players will return. It would not be good to keep them here without playing,” Khatiwada said earlier this week. In a later statement to MakaluKhabar, he added, "We were unable to field them despite wanting to. Both players are returning to Pakistan today or tomorrow.

Both players had already arrived in Nepal and were present at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur for Janakpur’s opening match on Tuesday. They remained unused on the bench as the Bolts lost by 19 runs to Karnali Yaks, with Moeen Ali, Jimmy Neesham, Kusal Perera, and captain Harmeet Singh filling the four overseas slots.

The franchise has already completed the process of signing replacements and indicated that the new names would be made public by Wednesday night. Subsequent reports confirmed that Bangladeshi players Saif Hassan and Parvez Hossain Emon had arrived to fill the overseas slots.⁠

Janakpur, the 2024 champions who finished last in 2025, had signed Iftikhar as an experienced middle-order option and Hunain as a pace bowling reinforcement. The late clearance problems have forced a rapid squad adjustment just as the league stage gets underway, with all matches being played at the Kirtipur venue until the final on November 21.

The situation is part of a wider uncertainty affecting several Pakistani players signed by NPL franchises, after previously issued NOCs were placed on hold. The Cricket Association of Nepal has stated that it cannot force participation if national boards do not provide the required clearances.⁠