Mujeeb-ur-Rahman's BBL campaign comes to an end as Afghanistan Cricket Board revokes NOC  

Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman has flown back to his country after the nation's cricketing board opted to revoke his No Objection Certificate (NOC) to represent the Melbourne Renegades in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) season.

The mystery spinner was initially unavailable for the Melbourne derby contest against the Melbourne Stars on Tuesday, January 2, following the Afghanistan Cricket Board's (ACB) decision to not award NOCs for Mujeeb and two other players (Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq) for not signing their central contracts.

After clarity is ensured regarding existing NOCs being declared null and void as well, Mujeeb's stint with the Renegades has come to an end for the time being.

"Mujeeb's time with the Melbourne Renegades in BBL13 has unfortunately come to an end. Due to a recent change in his NOC, his tournament ended earlier than anticipated and he flew home this evening," a Renegades spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo.

The trio of Mujeeb, Naveen, and Fazalhaq now await how their ban plays out. According to the statement by the ACB, they will not be granted NOCs for overseas leagues for two years.

All three were slated to play in the 2024 IPL, with Naveen and Fazalhaq being retained by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) recently. Mujeeb, on the other hand, was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for his base price at the 2024 IPL mini-auction.

ACB announced the punishment for the players on December 25, but the spinner continued to feature in the BBL for a couple more matches. It was before the clash against the Stars that his NOC was officially revoked.

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Naveen and Fazalhaq have expressed a strong desire to play for Afghanistan; Mujeeb could be considered for the tour of India

Afghanistan are currently involved in a T20I series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Pacers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi are part of the Afghan squad and have expressed a strong desire to feature for their country in the forthcoming assignments.

Although the mystery spinner was not named in the squad, he is likely to be considered for the upcoming three-match T20I series against India, away from home.

The trio are currently under a "comprehensive investigation" by an ACB committee, which will come to a judgment concerning the current sanctions imposed.