Lahore Qalandars have fined captain Shaheen Shah Afridi around $3,600 (PKR 1 million) after Punjab (Pakistan's Punjab province) Police accused him of breaching security protocols at the team hotel. In a statement, the franchise said the penalty was imposed to “maintain discipline and ensure accountability.”
No action will be taken against Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza, who was also named in the police complaint. In a media briefing on Wednesday, Raza took accountability for the incident and attempted to free Afridi of any wrongdoing.
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The controversy surfaced after a Punjab Police letter addressed to PSL CEO Salman Naseer circulated widely on social media. It is alleged that Afridi and Raza violated protocol by bringing visitors to Raza's room, despite being denied permission by the PCB's security and anti-corruption officer as well as Naseer.
Although Raza said the visitors stayed for 40 minutes, the letter claimed they remained there for nearly three hours.
The Qalandars acknowledged the general sequence of events but said the matter had been “overstated in public discourse” and “amplified beyond its original context,” calling the situation “unnecessarily escalated.”
They emphasised that the issue stemmed from a misunderstanding rather than a deliberate breach and reiterated their respect for all security guidelines.
“The organisation reaffirms its commitment to strict adherence to SOPs and stresses the need for clear communication of protocols to avoid similar incidents in the future,” the franchise said.
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