Mujeeb Ur Rahman excluded from upcoming Melbourne Derby of BBL after change in NOC status

Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been excluded from the Melbourne Renegades' squad for the highly-anticipated Big Bash League (BBL) Derby against the Melbourne Stars. The reason behind the exclusion is the change in status to his No Objection Certificate (NOC) conditions.

The marquee clash will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday, January 2. The trio of Mujeeb and pacers - Naveen-Ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi had been penalized by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) after stating their wish to be out of the 2024 central contract list.

The sanctions included no NOCs for them to play in any T20 leagues for the subsequent two years and a revoking of any NOC they currently possess.

The two pacers, Naveen and Farooqi, then approached the board and expressed their commitment to play for Afghanistan again, leading to their selection for the ongoing T20I series against UAE.

However, Mujeeb did not feature in the Afghanistan squad. The Renegades had previously stated that they "received no communication of Mujeeb's availability for the BBL changing from the original plan" and that "the club will continue to support him for the rest of the season.

Yet, they issued a fresh statement today saying:

"Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been removed from the squad after a change to his NOC conditions made him unavailable for the match."

Meanwhile, Naveen and Farooqi have played in both T20Is against UAE, picking up four wickets combined. With the series tied at one win apiece, the decider will be played at Sharjah on the same day as the Melbourne Derby (January 2).

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Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the Melbourne Renegades leading wicket-taker this season

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been among the lone shining lights for the Melbourne Renegades thus far in the 2023-24 BBL season.

The 22-year-old is the joint-sixth leading wicket-taker of the competition with seven scalps in six outings. Mujeeb is also the Renegades' leading wicket-taker despite the side languishing in seventh place on the points table.

With four losses and a no-result in their first five matches, the side finally opened their win column in their previous fixture against the Adelaide Strikers. Mujeeb was the star with the ball, picking up figures of 3/20 in his four overs, including dangermen Chris Lynn (56) and Matthew Short (8).

The Renegades will have to win the majority of their remaining (four) games to stand to earn playoff qualification.