Shaheen Afridi and Sikandar Raza have been accused of serious breach of security protocols by Punjab police after four unauthorised individuals accessed the team's hotel room. As per reports, Afridi and Raza were seen "forcefully escorting" the visitors to a player's room on Saturday night, where they stayed for nearly three hours.
Raza has denied these claims, suggesting it was his friends and family, having being born and raised in Pakistan. The Zimbabwe T20I captain claimed that the meeting lasted only 45 minutes.
"Shaheen ne koi manmani nahi kari. Meri hi request thi, Maine kaha tha meri family and friends aaye hai. Pehle 4 saalo me aisa kuch bhi nahi tha. Mujhe mere family aur relatives ko milne ki ijazat thi. Ab agar ye SOPs the toh iska na mujhe aur to some extent Shaheen bhi aware nahi tha [He did not force anyone. In fact it was my request as it was my family and frieends. In previous four years, there was never a restriction on meeting my family and relatives. If the SOPs have changes, neither me not to an extent was Shaheen aware of the same," Sikandar Raza said in a press conference.
Muhammad Faisal, DIG (Operations, Lahore), has notified the PSL CEO of a serious violation of the security measures in place for the eight teams staying at a five-star hotel in the city.
According to the police official, despite prior warnings and refusal, Shaheen and Sikandar were found hosting four guests in Raza's room on the eighth floor until 1:25 AM.
The senior police official has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that this is a violation of the board's security protocols and code of conduct, which are designed to ensure the safety and integrity of all players, officials and associated personnel.
The protocol breach comes as the PSL 2026 is being played behind closed doors. The expanded 8-team tournament was expected to be played in 6 cities but was at the last minute shifted to Lahore and Karachi.
