Naseem Shah has reportedly been handed what is believed to be the largest fine in Pakistan cricket history, after the PCB took strict action over a now-deleted tweet from his account that appeared to criticise Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Two days after issuing him a show-cause notice, the PCB confirmed a penalty of PKR 20 million (around USD 72,000).
The fast bowler, recently signed by Rawalpindiz—one of the PSL’s two new franchises—seemed to take aim at Nawaz ahead of the tournament’s opening match. Earlier, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had announced that matches would be held without spectators due to fuel conservation concerns linked to the Strait of Hormuz situation and the wider West Asia crisis.
A recent post from my account was made by my management team and does not reflect my views.
I take full responsibility for my platform and have implemented the necessary changes to ensure this does not happen again.
I sincerely apologise to everyone affected by this misuse of…
— Naseem Shah (@iNaseemShah) March 30, 2026
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Despite that, several high-profile guests attended the first game. Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and niece of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was seen arriving at Gaddafi Stadium and interacting with officials and players from Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen.
Naseem’s account quote-tweeted a PCB media post with the remark, “Why is she treated like the Queen at Lord’s?” The tweet was deleted within minutes and replaced with a message claiming the account had been hacked and subsequently recovered.
According to a PCB statement, a three-member disciplinary committee conducted a hearing in which Naseem issued an unconditional apology and dismissed his social media manager. The board also confirmed that the manager has been blacklisted from working with any players under PCB jurisdiction.
However, the apology did not prevent disciplinary action. The PCB stated that Naseem had breached multiple clauses of his central contract and reiterated its commitment to maintaining professionalism, contractual discipline, and the integrity of the game.
The board has increasingly taken a firm stance against political expression by players. Last year, all-rounder Aamer Jamal was fined over PKR 1 million (approximately USD 4,000) for displaying a slogan in support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Jamal had appeared at a Pakistan training session during the home Test series against England with “804” written under his hat—Imran Khan’s prisoner number since his incarceration in August 2023.
While Jamal’s fine was considered steep at the time, Naseem’s penalty is more than 16 times higher, amounting to roughly eight months of his ‘C’ category central contract salary.
Notably, Naseem was also the most expensive player at this year’s PSL auction, with Rawalpindiz securing him for PKR 86.5 million (around USD 310,000).
