Naveen-ul-Haq has been banned by the UAE’s ILT20 for 20 months after violating his player agreement with the Sharjah Warriors. He had refused to sign the retention notice for the second season of the tournament scheduled for January-February next year. The ban means he will be unable to participate in the ILT20 in 2024 and 2025. However, despite the ban, Naveen has signed with Durban’s Super Giants in the South African SA20 league, which will take place at the same time as the ILT20.
The Sharjah Warriors had initially signed Naveen for the league’s inaugural edition in 2023 and had sent him a retention notice earlier this year. Despite attempts at mediation, the dispute could not be resolved, leading to the disciplinary committee’s intervention. The committee, comprising ILT20 chief executive David White, head of security and anti-corruption Col Azam, and Emirates Cricket Board member Zayed Abbas, heard both parties’ perspectives and examined the evidence before reaching a verdict.
ILT20 chief executive David White stated, “We do not take pride in making this announcement, but all parties are expected to comply with their contractual commitments and recognize that non-compliance can cause damage to the other party. Unfortunately, Naveen-ul-Haq failed to honor his contractual obligations with the Sharjah Warriors, and as such, the league had no option but to impose this 20-month ban on him.”
Despite his ban, Naveen was one of the top performers for Warriors in the 2023 season, finishing as their joint-highest wicket-taker with 11 dismissals. However, the team’s overall performance was not up to par, winning just three of their ten games and missing out on the playoffs.
