Punjab police say Lahore Qalandars broke tournament security rules on Saturday night when four unaccredited visitors reached the team’s hotel floor. In a letter sent to Pakistan Super League (PSL) chief executive Salman Naseer, the force labelled the episode a “serious breach of established security protocols”.
According to the same letter, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and all-rounder Sikandar Raza were blamed for “disregarding directives” and “forcefully escorting” the guests to a player’s room, where they apparently stayed for about three hours. The document claims the pair did so “despite resistance from on-duty security personnel”.
How did it reach that point? The liaison officer first asked the PCB security and anti-corruption manager for permission for four people known to Raza to visit. That request was declined. Team chief executive Sameen Rana then tried the PSL hierarchy, but the reply was again negative on security grounds. The letter says the two players went ahead anyway.
The police view the incident as a direct violation of measures “designed to ensure the safety and integrity” of everyone inside the competition bubble. It concludes by asking tournament organisers to review what happened and to take “necessary action to prevent future violations”.
The Qalandars confirmed they have been made aware of the allegations. Umar Farooq, the franchise’s head of media, said: “We are aware of an incident involving two Lahore Qalandars players, and are in communication with the PSL over the matter.”
Since the league returned to Pakistan, security has been tight: outer cordons around hotels, bag searches, and layers of accreditation. This year’s matches are being played behind closed doors, officially to conserve energy during the West Asia crisis, yet the restrictions on player movement remain largely unchanged from previous seasons.
Afridi and Raza have not commented publicly. There is no suggestion at this stage of any criminal wrongdoing—only that tournament rules may have been ignored. The Qalandars, meanwhile, were on the field again on Sunday evening, facing Karachi Kings after beating Hyderabad Kingsmen in their opening fixture.
For now, the focus is split: police want answers, the league wants calm, and the defending champions would rather turn attention back to the cricket.
