Mohammad Amir Denies IPL Auction Reports After Registering for APL Draft as UK National

Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has shut down reports linking him with the Indian Premier League auction — on the same day it emerged he has registered for the Afghanistan Premier League draft as a UK national. In a short post on X on November 2, 2026, Amir wrote: “Hi everyone just wanted to clarify news regarding IPL is not true.” The denial matters because several reports had suggested his new British citizenship could open a route into the IPL 2027 auction. As of tonight, that is speculation he has himself rejected — while his APL draft registration, in the Platinum category, is the confirmed development.

Key facts

What actually happened today

The story broke in two parts, and keeping them separate is important. First, Cricbuzz reported — and Geo Super, CricTracker and Outlook picked up — that Amir has entered the Afghanistan Premier League draft pool, with the player selection event set for November 3 in Dubai. His registration lists him as a UK national, and he has been placed in the Platinum category, the draft’s highest tier. Pakistan remains his affiliated national cricket board in the register.

Second, some of those same reports went further, suggesting that registering as a UK national could also make him eligible to enter the IPL 2027 auction, with News18 describing an IPL registration as “likely” and ABP Live reporting he was “considering” it. That is the part Amir has now publicly denied. His X post on November 2 was unambiguous — the IPL news, he said, “is not true” — and A-Sports confirmed the clarification the same evening.

For context, Amir has spoken in the past about wanting to play in the IPL if the chance ever came, even saying he would prefer it over the PSL. That older comment is part of why today’s speculation caught fire. But a past wish is not a registration, and today’s denial is the latest word from the player himself. Nothing is settled about any IPL involvement, and no franchise interest has been reported.

Why the UK registration changes things for the APL

Amir acquired British citizenship in May 2026, after marrying UK citizen and lawyer Narjis Khan and completing the residency and citizenship requirements, News18 reports. He now plays English domestic cricket as a local player — with Nottinghamshire in the T20 Blast and Trent Rockets in The Hundred — rather than as an overseas player.

That status matters for the APL because, as Geo Super notes, registering as a UK national could mean Amir does not need a No-Objection Certificate from the Pakistan Cricket Board in the same way players registered under Pakistan’s nationality do. There is a caveat, though: the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s draft register states that the participation of Pakistani players is subject to obtaining NOCs from the PCB, and Geo reports that the PCB is unlikely to issue NOCs for the tournament amid reported diplomatic tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. So even the APL move is not a done deal — it depends on how the ACB and PCB positions resolve.

There is also a precedent that explains the IPL speculation. Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood acquired a British passport before turning out for Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL between 2012 and 2015, despite the ban on Pakistani nationals in the league. Pakistani players have not featured in the IPL since 2008 because of political tensions between India and Pakistan, as A-Sports notes. Amir would be following the same legal logic as Mahmood — but, crucially, he says he is not doing so.

Amir’s career in numbers

Amir’s international career ended with his retirement from international cricket in 2024, after a brief comeback that took him to that year’s T20 World Cup. His last appearance for Pakistan came against Ireland at Lauderhill, Florida, in June 2024. Across formats he played 36 Tests, 61 one-day internationals and 62 T20 internationals — 159 internationals in all. He was 34 when he entered the APL draft pool, and his most recent high-profile cricket has been in England’s domestic competitions.

What happens next is a short calendar. The APL draft takes place in Dubai on November 3 — tomorrow — when we will learn whether a franchise picks him and in what capacity. The IPL retention deadline falls on November 15, with the mini-auction scheduled for December 16 in Goa. If Amir’s denial holds, the IPL dates will pass without him. If anything changes, it will be because he says so himself — not because of a report built on his citizenship status.

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November 3 update: Amir picked by Kandahar Warriors — and rules out the IPL auction

Mohammad Amir has been picked by Kandahar Warriors in the Platinum overseas category at the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) player draft held in Dubai on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — and on the same day he closed down the IPL speculation himself, telling the Associated Press from Dubai: “No, I’m not [registering for the auction].”

Amir had already posted on X on Monday: “Hi everyone just wanted to clarify news regarding IPL is not true.” The clarification followed a Cricbuzz report that he was expected to register for the IPL 2027 auction after entering the APL draft as a British national. The IPL 2027 mini-auction is scheduled for Goa on December 16, with the overseas registration window closing on November 23 — but Amir has now ruled himself out of it, even though his British citizenship, acquired in May 2026, had briefly raised the possibility of eligibility through the England and Wales Cricket Board route.

Reports indicate more than 30 Pakistani cricketers, including Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim, also put their names forward for the APL draft. Their availability remains subject to No-Objection Certificates from the PCB, and a PCB spokesperson told Cricbuzz “I don’t think so” when asked about NOCs — a reminder that Amir’s own APL participation, unlike his IPL denial, still depends on clearances that have not been confirmed.

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